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EU's Ashton denounces radicals' pressure on Ukraine parliament

She stressed the need to hand over any unauthorized arms to the authorities immediately

© EPA/JULIEN WARNAND

BRUSSELS, March 29. /ITAR-TASS/. Threats from the Right Sector radical group to Ukrainian parliament members are against democracy principles and rule of law, EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton said in a statement on Friday evening.

She condemned the pressure of Right Sector activists who surrounded the Supreme Rada building.

Ashton urged members of the Right Sector and other groups in Ukraine to refrain from the use of threat and violence.

She stressed the need to hand over any unauthorized arms to the authorities immediately.

Right Sector activists who gathered near the Ukrainian parliament on Thursday evening demanded to sack newly parliament-appointed Interior Minister Arsen Avakov, whom they blamed for the death of one of the Right Sector leaders Alexandr Muzhychko. However, a draft resolution to dismiss the minister was not included in the agenda. Deputies only formed a commission to inquire into the circumstances of the death of Muzhychko, who was killed in a special detention operation.

The leader of the extremist group Right Sector, Dmitry Yarosh, was earlier put on an international wanted list. On March 12, Moscow Basmanny district court ruled to arrest Yarosh on charges of public calls through media for terrorist and extremist activities. Yarosh publicly called on anti-Russian forces for extremist actions and terror in Russia's territory.

The Right Sector group on March 22 was transformed into the same name political party based on the Ukrainian National Assembly (UNA).

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