Η ουκρανική χούντα απαγορεύει οριστικά το ΚΚ Ουκρανίας

Η είδηση έχει γίνει πλέον γνωστή: η ουκρανική χούντα απαγόρευσε στις 16 Δεκέμβρη οριστικά το ΚΚ Ουκρανίας, στα πλαίσια της διαβόητης «αποκομμουνιστικοποίησης» που προωθεί σε συνεργασία με τους ιμπεριαλιστές σπόνσορές της. Η ολόψυχη και χωρίς όρους υπεράσπιση των κομμουνιστών της Ουκρανίας, που είναι δεδομένη και πρέπει να δυναμώσει, δεν είναι απλώς αλληλεγγύη προς κάποιους τρίτους που βρίσκονται μακριά· είναι πρώτα και κύρια πολιτική πάλη ενάντια στη «δική μας» αστική τάξη, που είτε με την προηγούμενη είτε με την τωρινή κυβέρνηση έχει υποστηρίξει το σιχαμένο καθεστώς του Κιέβου, και είναι πάλη ενάντια στο «δικό μας» ιμπεριαλιστικό μπλοκ, ΗΠΑ-ΕΕ-ΝΑΤΟ, που βρίσκεται πίσω από το πραξικόπημα που έφερε τη σημερινή χούντα στην Ουκρανία.

Υπενθυμίζουμε τη σχετική τοποθέτηση του συντρόφου Σεργκέι Κιριτσούκ της Μποροτμπά όταν είχε πρωτοξεκινήσει η δίωξη του ΚΚ Ουκρανίας, ενώ σημειώνουμε και την καταγγελία της απόφασης απαγόρευσης του κόμματος από τη Διεθνή Αμνηστία, που τη χαρακτηρίζει «αποφασιστικό χτύπημα για την ελευθερία του λόγου«.

Χωρίς περισσότερα σχόλια, αναδημοσιεύουμε α) το σχετικό άρθρο του 902 και β) μια έκκληση του ΚΚ Ουκρανίας (στα αγγλικά).

Την οριστική απαγόρευση του ΚΚ Ουκρανίας αποφάσισε το Εφετείο μετά από δίκη-«παρωδία»

Την οριστική απαγόρευση του Κομμουνιστικού Κόμματος Ουκρανίας αποφάσισε χθες το Διοικητικό Εφετείο του Κιέβου, μετά από μία δίκη-«παρωδία» που επισφράγισε ουσιαστικά μία καθαρά πολιτική δίωξη, που εκπορεύτηκε από την αντιδραστική κυβέρνηση των φασιστικών και εθνικιστικών δυνάμεων, που κατέλαβε πραξικοπηματικά την εξουσία μετά την ανατροπή του προέδρου Γιανουκόβιτς.

Συγκεκριμένα, το Εφετείο απέρριψε την προσφυγή του ΚΚ της Ουκρανίας ενάντια στην απόφαση του Πρωτοβάθμιου Διοικητικού Δικαστηρίου του Κιέβου για απαγόρευσή του.

Δίκη-«παρωδία»

Υπενθυμίζεται ότι η πρώτη μήνυση εναντίον του ΚΚ Ουκρανίας κατατέθηκε από το υπουργείο Δικαιοσύνης, τον Ιούλη του 2014. Οι κατηγορίες κατέρρευσαν, διότι όλες οι λεγόμενες αποδείξεις για «παράνομες δραστηριότητες» του ΚΚΟ ήταν κατάφωρα στημένες.

Μάλιστα ο δικαστής που κλήθηκε αρχικά να αναλάβει την υπόθεση, χαρακτήρισε τη διαδικασία «πολιτικά υποκινούμενη» και παραιτήθηκε από την εκδίκασή της, ενώ το ίδιο έπραξαν και άλλοι δικαστές. Το γεγονός αυτό ανάγκασε τις αντιδραστικές δυνάμεις που βρίσκονται στην εξουσία στην Ουκρανία να μεταφέρουν την υπόθεση σε άλλο δικαστήριο, που όμως δεν έχει τη δικαιοδοσία για τέτοιες περιπτώσεις.

Ζητούν αλλαγή ονόματος και συμβόλων

Η απόφαση του υπουργείου Δικαιοσύνης για την απαγόρευση του ΚΚ Ουκρανίας βασίστηκε στο πόρισμα της λεγόμενης Ανεξάρτητης Επιτροπής. Αυτή η Επιτροπή αποτελούνταν από αξιωματούχους του υπουργείου και ουσιαστικά συνεδρίαζε εν κρυπτώ, καθώς το ΚΚ δεν είχε καν ενημερωθεί ότι εξεταζόταν η υπόθεσή του.

Στην απόφασή της η Επιτροπή χαρακτήριζε το πρόγραμμα του κόμματος ασύμβατο με τις προβλέψεις του Συντάγματος, χωρίς όμως να αναλύει ενδεχόμενες «παραβιάσεις».

Το αντιδραστικό καθεστώς του Κιέβου επιμένει ότι το κόμμα θα πρέπει να παραιτηθεί από το όνομα «Κομμουνιστικό» και τα σύμβολά του, το αστέρι και το σφυροδρέπανο, δηλαδή τα παγκοσμίως αναγνωρισμένα σύμβολα του διεθνούς κομμουνιστικού κινήματος.

Το ΚΚ Ουκρανίας προσέφυγε κατά του πορίσματος, αλλά χθες μετά από 6 συνεδριάσεις το Διοικητικό Εφετείο του Κιέβου ανακοίνωσε την απόρριψη της προσφυγής του.

Πολιτική δίωξη

Από την πλευρά του το ΚΚ Ουκρανίας δηλώνει ότι η δίκη αυτή είναι πολιτικά υποκινούμενη και έχει ως στόχο να διαλύσει το κόμμα, τη μόνη πραγματική αντιπολίτευση στο αντιδραστικό καθεστώς του Κιέβου.

Σημειώνει ότι είναι το μόνο κόμμα που αντιτίθεται στη μετατροπή της Ουκρανίας σε αποικία, που αντιδρά στην πολιτική κοινωνικής γενοκτονίας που επιβάλλεται από το ΔΝΤ, με το πάγωμα των μισθών και των συντάξεων, την αύξηση των τιμολογίων, που αντιπαλεύει τη διαφθορά που αυξήθηκε σημαντικά αφότου οι φασιστικές και εθνικιστικές δυνάμεις ήρθαν στην εξουσία.

Επίσης το ΚΚ Ουκρανίας δηλώνει ότι τάσσεται υπέρ της ιστορικής αλήθειας και ενάντια στο φασισμό, γι’αυτό δεν πρόκειται να αναγνωρίσει ως «ήρωες» τους συνεργάτες του Χίτλερ, προσβάλλοντας τη μνήμη των στρατιωτών του Κόκκινου Στρατού.

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STATEMENT by Communist Party of Ukraine

Central Committee, Department for International Relations:

Dear comrades, colleagues and friends!

Yesterday, December 16, 20015 two judgments against the Communist Party of Ukraine were announced.

In the morning of December, 16 Kiev Appeal Administrative Court rejected the appeal of the Communist Party of Ukraine on the negative judgment of the District Administrative Court of Kiev (DACK)on 4 CPU lawsuits against the Ministry of Justice (MoJ) united to one case. So this judgment let DACK in the evening of 16th of December 2015 as the court of the first instance contrary to the Ukrainian law and international standards in written procedure without participation of the parties to the procedure to announce another judgment on the lawsuit of the Ministry of Justice on the CPU ban.

Recall that the first lawsuit against the CPU was filed by the Ministry of Justice in July 2014. This case is failed completely, because all the so-called “evidences” of CPU illegal activities were grossly rigged. The charges against the Communist Party were so absurd that judge Kuzmenko responsible for the case, stated that this process is a politically motivated and disqualified himself. His action was followed by all other judges of the District Administrative Court of Kiev. That recusal led to the transfer of the case to another court which does not have the jurisdiction over such cases. Wrath of the regime was not long in coming – the court premises were searched. Criminal proceedings against judges, including Kuzmenko, were started.

In spring 2015 the new so-called “laws on decommunization” were adopted in Ukraine and came into force. No doubt that these “decommunization laws” are contrary to the current Constitution, international law, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the European Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms, the conclusions of the Venice Commission.
Nevertheless the new law-suit to ban the CPU on the basis of those laws was filed by the MoJ to the DACK.

By a strange coincidence, and the «whims» of the electronic system of distribution of cases among judges, this new case again was «accidentally» distributed to the judge Kuzmenko, which is under the criminal proceeding. In addition this judge about year ago was conscripted to the zone of the armed conflict in the East of Ukraine but somehow avoided from this military service. Moreover the same judge banned two other communist parties this year.

The regime insists that that the Party should waive its name “communist” and symbols: the star, hammer and sickle – the universally recognized symbols of the world communist movement.

To make the DACK began hearings and turned to the written procedure to avoid the provision and review of evidences and public discussion on the merits of law and facts.

To counteract efforts of the MoJ to ban the Party and to defend its rights and interests, CPU submitted 4 lawsuits against the MoJ actions, inactions and acts. The DACK united 4 of them and contrary to the General Procedural Guaranties of the fair trial as well as contrary to the Ukrainian law decided to reject this united law-suit using the so-called written procedure. So, after 6 court hearings Kiev Appeal Administrative Court rejected the appeal of the CPU on decision above.

Even arguments of the CPU that “decommunization laws” are to be reviewed by the Venice Commission and this conclusion is expected at 18th of December, 2015 have not prevented the court of such judgment. Obviously court was pushed to have such decision prior to the Venice Commission conclusion despite the fact that this conclusion hardly would be positive for the government of Ukraine, so the law – the basis of the judgment should be improved or cancelled.

Given these circumstances it’s impossible to talk about the impartiality and objectivity of further court hearings on the suit of the MoJ to ban the CPU.

The court decision on the CPU ban grossly and rigidly violated human rights and fundamental freedoms as well as the Fundamental procedural guarantees. The court was obviously dependant and partial deciding this case. The parties to the procedure were deprived of the right to participate in the court hearings, almost all motions of the CPU were rejected by the court.

1. Right to assembly, the freedom of opinion and political activities
All the actions of the state to ban the CPU are based on the Law «On conviction Communist and National Socialist (Nazi) totalitarian regimes in Ukraine and the prohibition of propaganda of its symbols» (decommunization law). This decommunization law is so ill-conceived, populist, undemocratic and anti-European, that it actually creates illogic in the functioning of state and public life.

Having undertaken a number of political and legal obligations before the European Union, Ukraine must comply with the basic European standards in the field of human rights and freedoms. The mentioned standards totally oppose the ideology of the decommunization. All advanced EU countries today have abolished laws that banned the use of Communist ideology and symbolism of the Soviet period.

To illustrate. In 2005, former socialist states and the current EU members proposed at the EU Parliament to ban Communist symbols. The European Commission rejected this initiative, considering that it is inconsistent with the agenda on combating racism.

In December 2010, the European Commission established a lack of consensus between Member States concerning the rules providing criminal penalties for approval, denial or belittling the danger of Communism. This was a result of an appeal from Ministers of Foreign Affairs of Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania and Romania which failed.

Resolution № 213 (2009) of the European Parliament on European conscience and totalitarianism firmly condemns all totalitarian and undemocratic regimes, but it in does not mention anything about the use of Communist symbols.

Usage of symbols of political movements in the context of art.10 of the European Convention were considered legal by the European Court of Human Rights in the following cases: «Vazhnay vs Hungary» (case № 33629/06), judgment of 08.07.2008 p. (See. § 53 of the decision); «Fratanolo vs Hungary» (case № 29459/10), judgment of 03.11.2011, «Faber vs Hungary» (case № 40721/08), judgment of 24.07.2012.

In this aspect it is also important to recall the Conclusion of the Venice Commission and OSCE/ODIHR dated 2013 concerning legislative ban of symbols of the Communist era, which took place in the Republic of Moldova. In this Conclusion, the Commission firmly condemned the law banning the Communist ideology and symbols of the Communist era adopted by the Parliament of the Republic of Moldova. Moreover at the last page of the judgment placed by the minister of justice Petrenko at late evening of the January, 16 the court stated that this Venice Commission Conclusion should be ignored by the court.

As a result, the Constitutional Court of the Republic of Moldova annulled this law.

It is worth noting that in accordance with the Instruction on the Regulation of Political Parties adopted by the OSCE/ODIHR and Venice Commission «… the prohibition and dissolution of political parties cannot happen because their ideas are unacceptable, unattractive or offensive. If the party does not use violence and does not threaten civil peace and democratic constitutional order of the country, neither prohibition nor dissolution is justified.»

Another example which will help to determine the constitutionality/unconstitutionality of the decommunization law is an important judgment by the European Court of Human Rights in the case «Vazhnay vs Hungary » in which the European Court stated the following:
«… The possible propaganda of Communist ideology, however unbearable it may be, cannot be the sole reason for limiting the use of the symbol, especially multi-valued, especially with criminal sanctions. Pure demonstration or use of symbols by a person, including a member of a registered political party, who did not exhibit any sort of totalitarian ambitions, cannot be equated with dangerous propaganda.»

2. Participation in the local elections
CPU and other leftists were excluded from the political life. MoJ prohibited the CPU to participate in the local elections held 25th of October this year because of the accusations in the violation of the decommunization laws.

3. Participation in the decision making process
The decision of the MoJ to go to court to ban the CPU is based on the conclusions of the so-called independent Commission. This Commission consists of the MoJ officials. Some of them are in direct subordination to the head of the Commission – deputy Minister. CPU representatives were not even informed on the Commission session on the CPU case. CPU asked in written several times on the concrete inconsistencies of the Program and Statute of the CPU. No any answer is obtained. Commission decision on inconsistency does not provide any concrete statement on inconsistency of the CPU with the requirements of the decommunization laws, but only general decision. The lawsuit as well does not describe any analysis of such violations. Just statement that party has not changed the documents.

Given these circumstances it’s impossible to talk about the impartiality and objectivity of further court hearings on the suit of the MoJ to ban the CPU.

We are confident that this trial is a politically motivated and is aimed to destroy the Communist Party of Ukraine – the only real opposition to the current regime.

Anyway, Communist Party of Ukraine will continue its struggle for the rule of law and democracy, for the human rights and fundamental freedoms.

CPU would be grateful for any support, assistance, help and solidarity in this unequal fight!