Verkhovna Rada passes a law banning pro-Russian political parties, religious and non-governmental organizations

On March 3, Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine passed a law banning religious organizations, non-governmental organizations, and political parties that promote Russia.

According to UNIAN, MPs voted for the bill "On Amendments to Certain Legislative Acts of Ukraine (on the prohibition of production and distribution of information products aimed at promoting the actions of the aggressor state)" (registration number 5101).

This law prohibits the production and distribution of information products aimed at facilitating the aggressor state's actions and issues an injunction on the activities of religious organizations, public associations, and political parties that promote the aggressor.

The law bans a religious organization after establishing the facts of its actions aimed at the liquidation of Ukraine's independence, forcible change of the constitutional order, violation of the state's sovereignty and territorial integrity, undermining the state's security, illegal seizure of state power, propaganda of war, violence, incitement to inter-ethnic, racial, and religious enmity, encroachment on human rights and freedoms, public health, propaganda of communist and/or National Socialist (Nazi) totalitarian regimes and their symbols; violation of equality of citizens based on their racial, national, regional affiliation, religious beliefs, disability, and other grounds; dissemination of information containing justifications, recognition as lawful, denial of the armed aggression of the Russian Federation against Ukraine, which began in 2014.

There is an injunction on information products aimed at promoting Russia's actions, denying the armed aggression of the Russian Federation against Ukraine in 2014, i.e. by presenting the armed aggression of the Russian Federation against Ukraine as "internal conflict", "civil conflict", "civil war", denial of temporary occupation of part of the territory of Ukraine.

Such an injunction is also issued on the glorification of persons who carried out the armed aggression of the Russian Federation against Ukraine in 2014, representatives of both armed formations of the Russian Federation and irregular, illegal armed formations, armed gangs and groups of mercenaries created, subordinated, controlled and funded by the Russian Federation, as well as representatives of the occupation administration of the Russian Federation, consisting of its state bodies and structures functionally responsible for the management of the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine, and representatives of self-proclaimed bodies controlled by the Russian Federation. It also concerns defining them as "insurgents", "militias", and "polite military men".

The same prohibitions apply to public and religious organizations.

This law shall enter into force on the day following its publication.