{"id":1390494,"date":"2022-03-20T09:49:31","date_gmt":"2022-03-20T13:49:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=1390494"},"modified":"2022-03-20T10:16:47","modified_gmt":"2022-03-20T14:16:47","slug":"ukraine-zelensky-uses-martial-law-to-ban-main-opposition-party-in-crackdown-on-division","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/ukraine-zelensky-uses-martial-law-to-ban-main-opposition-party-in-crackdown-on-division\/","title":{"rendered":"Ukraine: Zelensky Uses Martial Law to Ban Main Opposition Party In Crackdown on &#8216;Division&#8217;"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">28<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fukraine-zelensky-uses-martial-law-to-ban-main-opposition-party-in-crackdown-on-division%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=1390494&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><div><\/div>\n<p class=\"subheading\">Ukraine\u2019s President Volodymyr Zelensky has announced the banning of Ukraine\u2019s main opposition party as part of an anti-Russian crackdown.<\/p>\n<p>A number of other major opposition parties were also banned by the Ukrainian government amid the ongoing Russian invasion of the country.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"D-ROS-B1\" class=\"a8d\"><\/figure>\n<figure id=\"M-ROS-B1\" class=\"a8d\"><\/figure>\n<figure id=\"gmxrevmore\" class=\"H\"><\/figure>\n<p>The foremost victim of the crackdown is the Opposition Platform \u2014 For Life, which as of the 2019 general election was the second most popular political party in Ukraine after Zelensky\u2019s own \u2018Servant of the People\u2019 \u2014 named after the television show of the same name which starred Zelensky as an ordinary man who became President, shot to fame by a channel run by the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cnbc.com\/2019\/09\/20\/privatbank-ukraines-president-zelensky-and-the-oligarch-kolomoisky.html\">controversial<\/a> Ukrainian-Israeli oligarch Ihor Kolomoisky.<\/p>\n<p>According to a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.spiegel.de\/ausland\/ukraine-sicherheitsrat-verbietet-arbeit-prorussischer-parteien-a-e1591b8e-da89-48fb-9db4-a9b5aa39d188\">report<\/a> by\u00a0<em>Der Spiegel<\/em>, the ban was announced via video message on Sunday, and will suspend the operation of the party, which earned 13 per cent of the national vote in 2020 and is most successful in areas of Ukraine with large ethnic Russian and Russian-speaking populations.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe activities of those politicians aimed at division or collusion will not succeed, but will receive a harsh response,\u201d President Zelensky is <a href=\"https:\/\/www.pravda.com.ua\/news\/2022\/03\/20\/7332907\/\">reported<\/a> as saying by <em>Ukrajinska Pravda<\/em>.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"M-ROS-B2\" class=\"a8d\"><\/figure>\n<p>\u201cTherefore, the National Security and Defence Council decided, given the full-scale war waged by Russia and the political ties that a number of political structures have with this state, to suspend any activities of a number of political parties during martial law,\u201d the statement continued.<\/p>\n<p>According to the publication, other parties banned by the government\u2019s edict include the Opposition Bloc, the Union of Left Forces, the Progressive Socialist Party of Ukraine, and the Sharia Party.<\/p>\n<p>All of the parties banned in the country \u2014 which has previously been described as \u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/www.whitehouse.gov\/briefing-room\/speeches-remarks\/2022\/02\/24\/remarks-by-president-biden-on-russias-unprovoked-and-unjustified-attack-on-ukraine\/\">democratic<\/a>\u201d by U.S. President Joe Biden \u2014 have been considered Eurosceptic, anti-liberal, or pro-Russian by the Zelensky government, according to\u00a0<em>Der Spiegel.<\/em><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\">UK Media Regulator Revokes Broadcasting Licence of Russia\u2019s RT News<a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/z49sVKVPsa\">https:\/\/t.co\/z49sVKVPsa<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Breitbart London (@BreitbartLondon) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/BreitbartLondon\/status\/1504940717147312128?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">March 18, 2022<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>Despite growing up as a Russian-speaker <a href=\"https:\/\/www.france24.com\/en\/20190416-russian-speakers-ukraine-candidate-talking-language\">himself<\/a> and polling well among that segment of Ukraine\u2019s population prior to taking office, this is not the first time Zelensky has taken action against groups deemed to be pro-Russian.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"M-ROS-B3\" class=\"a8d adSo\"><\/figure>\n<p>The current government previously put Platform for Life party leader\u00a0Viktor Medvedchuk under house arrest in May 2021 over accusations that he committed high treason, with authorities alleging the opposition leader had been handing over military secrets to Russia.<\/p>\n<p>Zelensky also <a href=\"https:\/\/ua.interfax.com.ua\/news\/economic\/743913.html\">banned three news channels<\/a>\u00a0associated with\u00a0Medvedchuk and targeted the man\u2019s family and colleagues.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWith the help of legal instruments, Medvedchuk was deprived of the opportunity to use the media and state property to openly attack the country and cause ruinous damage to state security,\u201d Zelensky said by way of justification for his actions.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\">&#8216;They&#8217;re Dressed Like You and Me&#8217; \u2013 In Kyiv, Home to Large Russian Minority, Volunteers Hunt &#8216;Saboteurs&#8217; <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/68ZiUr21lb\">https:\/\/t.co\/68ZiUr21lb<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Breitbart London (@BreitbartLondon) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/BreitbartLondon\/status\/1497913153409146881?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">February 27, 2022<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>Western nations have also targeted Russia-linked media since Vladimir Putin escalated hostilities in Donbas into full-scale war, with both the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.breitbart.com\/europe\/2022\/03\/01\/freedom-fries-west-begins-scrubbing-russia-from-cultural-sphere\/\">European Union<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.breitbart.com\/europe\/2022\/03\/18\/uk-media-regulator-revokes-russias-rt-broadcasting-licence\/\">United Kingdom<\/a> taking measures to ban the distribution of content produced by Russian-owned broadcaster RT. for example.<\/p>\n<p>Meanwhile, Russia has experienced its own, even harsher\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.breitbart.com\/national-security\/2022\/03\/07\/reports-russia-detains-4600-at-ukraine-war-protests\/\">crackdown<\/a> on those voicing opposition to the war, with thousands reportedly being arrested by the country\u2019s police for protesting against the conflict and people spreading what the state deems \u201cfake\u201d information threatened with <a href=\"https:\/\/www.reuters.com\/world\/europe\/russia-introduce-jail-terms-spreading-fake-information-about-army-2022-03-04\/\">significant<\/a> prison sentences.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe screws are being fully tightened,\u201d said one human rights NGO active in the country. \u201cEssentially, we are witnessing military censorship\u201d<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\">Russophobia: Orthodox Priest Subjected to Death Threats In France<a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/Z4FVtdFFSA\">https:\/\/t.co\/Z4FVtdFFSA<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Breitbart London (@BreitbartLondon) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/BreitbartLondon\/status\/1503838453967974400?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">March 15, 2022<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<h5 class=\"western\"><em>Follow Breitbart London on Facebook:<\/em><em>\u00a0<\/em><em><a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/BreitbartLondon\/\">Breitbart London<\/a><\/em><\/h5>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Ukraine\u2019s President Volodymyr Zelensky has announced the banning of Ukraine\u2019s main opposition party as part of an anti-Russian crackdown. A number of other major opposition parties were also banned by<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2315279,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1390494","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1390494","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1390494"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1390494\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2315279"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1390494"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1390494"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1390494"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}