“Truncheon” against protests: Yulia Tymoshenko criticized the draft law on allowing the National Guard to use force against civilians
The Law Enforcement Committee of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine approved the scandalous draft law No. 10311, which expands the powers of National Guard servicemen to use force against civilians, in particular, allows the use of firearms and special equipment during the suppression of mass actions.
According to the draft law, the tasks of the National Guard include the protection and defense of all its own military facilities — military units, training centers, educational institutions, military towns and transport convoys. But the main thing is that National Guard servicemen are given the right to use physical force against civilians, use handcuffs, rubber and plastic batons, tear gas and electric shocks. In addition, the document provides for the use of drones, means of radio-electronic warfare, grenades, water cannons and weapons loaded with rubber bullets. In particular, the National Guard will be able to use water cannons and rubber bullets in case of so-called “mass disturbances”.
In the explanatory note to the draft law, the authors note that these changes are allegedly caused by the need to respond to threats to the security of Ukraine and the need to “determine a uniform approach to the use of coercive measures” by the National Guard.
Yulia Tymoshenko, the leader of the Batkivshchyna party, sharply criticized the bill. She stated that the Verkhovna Rada is actually going to allow the National Guard to disperse even peaceful protests with the use of firearms. According to her, the parliament authorizes the use of drones, stun guns and handcuffs against the civilian population and prepares the military to forcefully suppress mass demonstrations.
“The law “On the National Guard of Ukraine” needed by the state, which brought the legal basis of the unit’s activity in line with the needs of wartime, for example, allowed the use of special equipment during the protection of the nuclear power plant, underwent drastic changes between the first and second reading.
In the current version, it is really a tool for suppressing mass protest actions, which violates the Constitution and all possible rights and freedoms of people.
It de facto turns the National Guard into “internal special forces”, more similar to the Russian OMON, which can be used not only as security or military police, but also as a “baton” against protests. – wrote Yulia Tymoshenko on her Facebook page.
Tymoshenko admitted that when she saw the loud news headlines about this draft law, at first she thought it was clickbait, because she could not imagine that someone in the parliament was seriously capable of initiating such a document. However, after opening the text of draft law No. 10311, she was shocked – the journalists did not invent anything. Everything written is true.
Yulia Tymoshenko stated that at the next meeting of the Conciliation Council, “Batkivshchyna” will demand the immediate withdrawal of this scandalous draft law from consideration by the Verkhovna Rada. She also emphasized that the party will definitely find out which of the deputies and political forces is promoting this document and why it is being done right now.
“Already at the next meeting of the Conciliation Council, we will demand that the scandalous draft law be withdrawn from consideration.
And we will definitely find out who lost Yanukovych’s glory and what they are preparing the country for!
There will be no dictatorship and dictatorial laws in Ukraine!”, Yulia Tymoshenko said.
At the same time, the Anti-Corruption Center emphasized that some provisions of draft law No. 10311 are very reminiscent of the so-called “dictatorship laws of January 16, 2014” — the same ones that the Verkhovna Rada passed with violation of procedure during the Revolution of Dignity and which actually gave the authorities a mechanism to brutally suppress protests.
