Persecution of the Ukraine Communist Party

3.3.2015

Question for written answer P-003392-15
to the Commission
Rule 130
Neoklis Sylikiotis (GUE/NGL)

At the request of the Ministry of Justice of Ukraine, Kiev’s District Administrative Court is considering whether to outlaw the Communist Party of Ukraine, a perfectly legitimate party. On Wednesday, 18 February, 2015, the president of this court resigned on the grounds that the country’s authorities were putting pressure on the judges, apparently to force them to outlaw the party. He said that these pressures constituted valid grounds for refusing the request to outlaw the Communist Party of Ukraine.

In view of the above, will the Commission say:

Does it approve of the judicial persecution of the Communist Party Ukraine?

Is such action compatible with EC law and the EU-Ukraine agreement?

What steps will it take against the Ukrainian authorities which are, according to the judge’s statement, applying pressure to have a political party condemned and outlawed?