Demonstrators rally against new law!
The Ukraine recent street protests have turned deadly as four people have been shot dead and hundreds injured as demonstrators clash with police over new laws limiting the right to protest and assembly.
According to media reports, protesters have been rallying in the snowy streets against the laws that went into effect Wednesday.
More than hundred of police officers had been injured and 84 hospitalized since the situation turned violent this week.
In addition, clashes raged between police and protesters who have came face to face around barricades on Hrushevskoho Street, causing to massive detention of more than 70 people.
The protests started to unfold since November 2013 when President Viktor Yanukovych changed his stance on the EU trade agreement.
The demonstrators asserted that the EU agreement would open borders to trade, leading to economic prosperity and elevating the livehood of the citizens of the country.
US condemns the escalating violence
In a press statement in Washington DC, US Deputy Department Spokesperson Marie Harf expressed condemnation on the increasing violence on the streets of Kyiv, which has led to casualties and the shooting deaths of two protesters.
“We urge all sides to immediately de-escalate the situation and refrain from violence.” – Ms. Harf
She said the increased tensions in Ukraine are a direct consequence of the Ukrainian government’s failure to engage in real dialogue and the passage of anti-democratic legislation on January 16.
The US also condemns the targeted attacks against journalists and peaceful protestors, including detentions. The Maidan movement has been defined by a spirit of non-violence that we strongly support.
Ms. Harf urged the Government of Ukraine to take steps that represent a better way forward for Ukraine, including repeal of the anti-democratic legislation and beginning a national dialogue with the political opposition.
US calls for restraint
Amid deadly scuffles between riot police and pro-EU demonstration in Ukraine’s capital of Kiev last month, the United States of America has called for restraint for both sides to protect human life.
In December 2012, Kiev is engulfed by unrest when massive protest by pro-EU protesters stood their ground after an overnight sweep by riot police.
The authorities sent in battalions of riot police with bulldozers to reclaim the Independence Square. There were records of scuffles and arrests. However, the riot police avoided entering the nearby City Hall and by morning they withdrew from the streets.
In a press statement in Washington DC, US Secretary of State John Kerry condemned the destruction of a protest camp in central Kiev.
The turmoil started in November 2013 when the President Yanukovich yielded pressure from Moscow and spurned a free trade deal with the EU.
