khpg.org

President signs dangerously flawed ‘decommunization’ laws : : khpg.org
▻http://khpg.org/index.php?id=1431743447

Given the time normally needed for applications to the European Court of Human Rights, Petro Poroshenko will have ceased to be Ukraine’s President when the first judgements against Ukraine over the so-called ‘decommunization laws’ are passed. He has, however, already seen the often acrimonious debate launched over these laws, with their critics viewed as anything from justifying communism to ‘Ukrainophobe’. He is probably already aware of the number of reports in the western media, as well as an open letter from 63 academics, slamming Ukraine for a move away from democratic pluralism.

For one of the laws’ critics, who has every reason to hate communist totalitarianism as much as Nazism, Poroshenko’s signing of such divisive and flawed laws is profoundly frustrating.
[…]
One example of material which through Poroshenko’s signature will shortly be prohibited is any “justification of the fight against participants in the struggle for Ukraine’s independence in the XX century”. This conjures up images of NKVD horrific reprisals and can seem straightforward, but is not. For many of us, whose fathers or grandfathers fought in the Soviet Army, or partisan units linked to it, against the Nazi aggressor, the “fight against participants in the struggle for Ukraine’s independence” might well mean refer to them fighting for their lives against members of the Ukrainian Insurgent Army [UPA] who viewed even the Ukrainians fighting in the Soviet Army as enemies to be killed.

Halya Coynash est membre du Groupe de protection des droits humains de Kharkov.

European Fascists & Neo-Nazis to meet to defend Russian interests :: khpg.org
▻http://khpg.org/index.php?id=1426778817

Leading members of many of Europe’s far-right parties are about to descend on a Russian conference aimed at creating a pan-European movement “that will uphold traditional values” and “lobby Russia’s interests”. According to Kommersant, its organizers hope to find ‘allies in Europe’ among far-right and neo-Nazi politicians who will support Russia’s ‘conflict with Ukraine’ and seek to get sanctions removed.

St. Petersburg opposition politician Boris Vishnevsky notes that this gathering of nationalists and neo-Nazis from all over Europe is taking place in the run-up to the seventieth anniversary of victory over Nazi Germany. This is not the only irony, of course. Over the last year and more Russia has persistently enlisted the aid of fascist and neo-Nazi groups and parties to support its aggression against Ukraine while claiming that it is fighting a ‘fascist regime’ in Ukraine. A considerable number of the former and current leaders or prominent figures in the so-called Donetsk and Luhansk ‘people’s republics’, like Ukrainian Pavel Gubarev, Russian Alexei Milchakov; Alexander Borodai and Alexander Proselkov, and very many others have or had strong ties to far-right or neo-Nazi Russian organizations.

The ‘International Russian Conservative Forum’ in St. Petersburg on March 22 has been organized by the Rodina Party, described by far-right researcher Anton Shekhovtsov as fascist and headed by Russia’s Deputy Prime Minister, Dmitry Rogozin. The Forum’s website begins with a long quote from Russian President Vladimir Putin’s address at the Valdai Club in which the former KGB officer says that “many Euro-Atlantic countries have effectively rejected their roots, including the Christian values forming the basis of western civilization”.

The Forum’s ‘mission’ includes developing “a new concept for humanity’s development as a response to the liberal-trans-national ideology destroying it” and “integrating the possibilities of political and civic conservative organizations of Europe and Russia in conditions of destructive instability and economic sanctions”.

11 parties, some with deputies in the European Parliament, will be represented, many by their leaders. The parties are all far-right, some with neo-Nazi leanings and, as Vishnevsky points out, can all be relied on to support Putin on the international stage. They include Greece’s Golden Dawn party; the National-Democratic Party of Germany [NPD]; Austria’s Freedom Party; the British National Party* ; Italy’s New Force [Forza Nuova) with its leader Roberto Fiore expected; the Party of the Swedes; and others. Kommersant notes that Marine Le Pen from France’s National Front has decided not to go, and believes this is out of fear of damaging her reputation before presidential elections (due in 2017). Certainly a change of heart need not be suspected with Le Pen having come out strongly in support of Russia’s annexation of Crimea and Putin generally, and her party having received a hefty loan from a Russian bank in 2014.

Mieux vaut un vrai nazi plutôt qu’un sbire de Yanoukovitch…

Andriy Biletsky commandant nazi du Bataillon Azov rassemblant nazis ukrainiens et autres militants européens est candidat à Kiev.

Il est candidat indépendant car il sent trop mauvais pour que les autres partis lui confèrent l’investiture, mais les autres partis retirent leurs candidats pour faire obstacle à Vadim Stolar, ancien député (battu en 2010) du Parti des Régions (pro-Yanoukovitch). D’après un député du bloc Timochenko, V. Smolar aurait fait parti de ses agresseurs lors d’une des séances de pugilat au Parlement.

Dangerous war heroes on Ukraine’s political scene : : khpg.org
▻http://khpg.org/index.php?id=1414100027

Andriy Biletsky, commander of the Azov volunteer battalion is also fighting for election in a Kyiv single mandate constituency (Obolon). He is standing without official party backing after being dropped from the candidate list of one of the main parties probably due to public expressions of concern about his neo-Nazi political views. He is one of the two candidates, together with Vadim Stolar, an ex-Party of the Regions millionaire, viewed as front runners. 

It is one of the sad ironies of Ukraine’s recent history that people whose democratic values are undisputed should have effectively supported Biletsky in order to keep out a person associated with the Party of the Regions and regime of ex-president Viktor Yanukovych. Well-known journalist Serhiy Leshchenko, for example, wrote in his blog on Ukrainska Pravda that “in order to prevent this notorious politician being elected, democratic forces should agree on and support a single candidate in district No. 217.“ He mentions that the People’s Front candidate withdrew in favour of Azov commander Andriy Biletsky.

Halya Coynash, indépendante, membre d’un groupe pour les Droits Humains de Kharkiv s’inquiète.

It is not surprising that for many the imperative that the old regime should not return to power overrides all other considerations, nor that those who are defending Ukraine are viewed as the best alternative. Let’s hope that many are, but once elected, MPs with a repugnant, intolerant and profoundly undemocratic platform will not always treat their far-right philosophy as “secondary”. Some candidates are a very dangerous alternative.

Un bateau de croisière affrété par un tour opérateur allemand fait escale à Yalta en #Crimée

Germans ignore international embargo against Russian-occupied Crimea : : khpg.org
▻http://khpg.org/index.php?id=1411386086

On Sept 17 ‘Ocean Majesty’, a Greek luxury cruise liner operated by the German tourist agency Hansa Touristik GmbH flouted the international embargo and sailed from Sochi in Russia into the Crimea, arriving in Yalta at around 8.30 Kyiv time. While the FSB carried out an 11-hour search of the Mejlis and men with machine guns raided a Mejlis member’s home, a major Crimean Tatar charity and the Mejlis’s newspaper Avdet, 500 German tourists basked in the Yalta sunshine.
(…)
Ukraine issued a directive on July 15 whereby it closed the ports in Yevpatoria; Kerch; Feodosia; Yalta and Sevastopol to international shipping. That information was passed to the International Maritime Organization and its members, as well as to representatives of foreign companies with IMO accreditation

Ukraine is entitled to demand that ships which have illegally docked in Crimean ports are arrested in any port in the world. According to Oleg Alyoshin, partner in the law firm Vasyl Kisil and Partners, this is in full accordance with the International Ship and Port Security Code. Alyoshin explained to Interfax Ukraine that Ukraine has a wide range of legal means for defending its interests including arrest of ships which enter Crimean ports while the Crimea is under Russian occupation. It can also seek a ban on their entry into the Crimea by citing the same code.

L’affaire vue par RIA-Novosti,…

http://cdn4.img22.ria.ru/images/102509/38/1025093835.jpg