Ukraine: gangster laws are applied at the political level

''We Ukrainians want a democratic state''

23. januar 2014 ob 19.58 • Ljubljana - MMC RTV SLO

"It is certain that more than 50 percent of the Ukrainian citizens want the connection with the EU. Those living in the Eastern and the Southern part and who speak Russian – although Kiev is also a Russian speaking town, but very pro-Ukrainian, and pro-European – mostly watch the Russian TV programmes; those besides making Ukraine look bad don't show anything at all. Although they live in Ukraine these people are at daggers drawn with those who try to talk to them in the Ukrainian language," was Inna Demchenko answer to the question whether all the Ukrainian citizens support the approximation to E Foto: BoBo

"The Ukrainian government is not democratic. After January 16, when the law restricting protest movement was passed, it changed into a complete totalitarian state, even worse than Russia and Belarus."

These are the words of Inna Demchenko, Ukrainian who has been living in Slovenia for five years now, and is one of the supporters of the Kiev protestors who on Thursday gathered in front of the Ukrainian embassy in Ljubljana.

"Considering the happenings in Ukraine since last November we agreed to support the protestors in this way, as there is nothing else we can do for our country from abroad."

Government propaganda
She follows the happening in her homeland mostly on the web. "Also my relatives and my friends get the news from the web, as in Ukraine only the propaganda is promoted by TV. It never shows what is really going on. You can see for example that the Police came in contact with students, and how many policemen ended in hospital beaten by rebels. Those who are aware of what is really going on watch news on the web."

Inne Demchenko, brought to Slovenia by love, claims that in Slovenia we have no idea how well we live. "Ukrainians want a democratic state, without corruption. There is corruption everywhere. When we were visiting my father in Ukraine my daughter fell ill. We went to the hospital, to the Department for Infectious Diseases. There were 30 children there, and only one thermometer, and a couple of bandages. It is incredible. You have to pay for everything."

We are talking about the basic human rights
The graduated communicologist and translator from the French language is aware that an agreement between the president Viktor Janukovič and the opposition will be extremely difficult to reach. "Now we are talking about the basic rights, the right to vote and to say that the president is bad, i.e. the basic values. Perhaps there are other demands in the background. In Ukraine the corruption is so huge that, let's say, if a husband fails to bring money to the doctor he can expect his wife to deliver in the corridor. I know it is difficult for you to grasp, but it is a completely different world, created for the 5% of citizens, for the members of the parliament and for their families."

"The government propaganda has achieved its goal"
She believes that the protests are not fuelled by economic interests. "It is not about the economic interest, honestly – it is about the basic human rights. Here you can go on the streets and protest. In Ukraine after January 16 you can be arrested if more than five people gather in a public place! If five cars drive close one after another the drivers can lose their driving licences for two years. If you wear a mask while walking on the street, you pose a threat to public order and can go to jail because of it."

She considers the main motive for the number of protestors in Kiev the fact that Ukraine distanced itself from the European Union. "While Janukovič was still a presidential candidate, he claimed his main advantage was his intention to get closer to the European Union, and preserve the friendship with Russia. Television propaganda acted in that direction and tried to convince us we were advancing towards Europe. Even those who had no wish to join Europe started believing it. Propaganda did its work. When the time to sign the accession agreement in Vilna arrived in November, Janukovič said we would sign nothing, as it was not economically beneficial, and we would join Russia. Some ten students who got rid of the Soviet slave philosophy went to the streets. On November 30 the Police beat the peaceful protestors. The next day several thousands of people came to the streets.

Antimajdan
Inne Demchenko explained that among supporters also the so-called mercenaries can be found, mostly because people are afraid of them. The opposition formed a movement called Majdan, called after the name given by the Ukrainians to the Independence Square. "The Antimajdan exists as well. Those are people who get paid 25 Euros per day to join the protests. The state even organizes their transport by buses. They come to the protest because they are afraid of losing their jobs – they don't even dare to go on sick leave." Those working for the state join the protests for free, in order to keep their jobs, while the unemployed from the Eastern part of Ukraine are happy to go to Kiev. And in the end they even don't get the promised payment.