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July 24, 2025
Since July 22, major demonstrations for democracy and against corruption have broken out across Ukraine.
Their immediate aim is to safeguard the independence of two key Ukrainian agencies in the fight against corruption. These bodies are the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU) and the Specialised Prosecutor's Office for this form of ruling class crime, the SAPO.
On June 22, at the request of the government and the presidency, the Ukrainian parliament (dominated by right-wing liberal and nationalist parties) passed law 12414, which ended the independence of these bodies by placing them under the supervision of the Prosecutor-General’s office and giving it powers to determine their investigations and prosecutions.
This measure, later promulgated into law by president Zelensky, mortally weakens the fight against corruption and helps entrench the seemingly untouchable privileges of the country’s oligarchic elite.
It also runs the risk of converting the anti-corruption agencies into tools to be used by the Office of the President to extend immunity to corrupt political allies and to intimidate political opponents.
The protests on June 22 were so widespread that--when combined with European Commission expressions of concern--Zelensky was forced the day after law’s adoption to promise new legislation that would include “all provisions ensuring the independence of anti-corruption institutions”.
However, Zelensky said nothing about repealing law 12414 and ENSU expects that the struggle against it will continue until it is taken off the statute book.
ENSU supports the Ukrainian people’s protests: our solidarity is with their aspiration for an independent, free, democratic and socially just Ukraine.
As the statement of the Kharkiv Human Rights Protection Group on law 12414 makes clear, the struggle for people’s rights within Ukraine is inseparable from the struggle to drive all Russian forces out of Ukraine’s internationally recognised territory.
Weakening democratic rights within Ukraine helps only one side–the Putin regime and its criminal war.
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24 juillet 2025
Depuis le 22 juillet, d'importantes manifestations pour la démocratie et contre la corruption ont éclaté dans toute l'Ukraine.Leur objectif immédiat est de préserver l'indépendance de deux agences ukrainiennes clés dans la lutte contre la corruption. Il s'agit du Bureau national anticorruption de l'Ukraine (NABU) et du Parquet spécialisé dans cette forme de criminalité de la classe dirigeante, le SAPO.
Le22 juin, à la demande du gouvernement et de la présidence, le parlement ukrainien (dominé par les partis libéraux de droite et nationalistes) a adopté la loi 12414, qui met fin l'indépendance de ces organismes en les plaçant sous la tutelle du bureau du procureur général et en lui donnant le pouvoir de décider de leurs enquêtes et de leurs poursuites.
Cette mesure, promulguée par la suite par le président Zelensky, affaiblit considérablement la lutte contre la corruption et contribue à renforcer les privilèges apparemment intouchables de l'élite oligarchique du pays.
Elle risque également de transformer les agences anticorruption en outils à la disposition du bureau du président pour étendre l'immunité à ses alliés politiques corrompus et intimider ses opposants politiques.