During the weekend, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s government suspended 11 Ukrainian political parties citing their alleged “links with Russia”. Heinz Bierbaum, President of the Party of the European Left, comments:
“It is with great dismay that we observe the recent blacklisting of 11 opposition parties in Ukraine, the majority of which are left-wing. This is a continuation to the ban on Communist parties that has been in place since 2015 in the country.
The Party of the European Left firmly denounces this ban, which poses a direct threat to the freedom of speech in the country. This can have immense consequences for democracy in Ukraine. We continue the call for de-escalation of the conflict and support organizations and forces working for peace and stability in Ukraine and Russia.
At the same time, we remain committed to our opposition against the rise of far right paramilitary groups in Ukraine and their effect on the country’s political landscape.”