KIEV, February 9. /TASS/. Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky and his team lead the country to a national catastrophe via the shortest path possible, due to their unprofessionalism and dictatorial ambitions, says Viktor Medvedchuk, leader of the Opposition Platform - For Life (OPFL) political party. He named the violations of the Ukrainian law Zelensky committed as he imposed sanctions against three oppositional TV channels as a proof.
"The citizens of Ukraine and the international partners of our country should consider, not just about the fact that the Constitution of Ukraine is being destroyed, that freedoms of the people and laws of the country are being crushed, but about the fact that Ukraine is led by an unprofessional team with dictatorial ambitions that seeks to usurp the power and destroy the rights and freedoms of the citizens. This is the shortest path to a national catastrophe that could ever be," Medvedchuk said in a statement, published at the party’s website Tuesday.
He pointed out that the Ukrainian National Security and Defense Council’s decision to impose sanctions against three TV channels, signed by Zelensky, cites clauses that do not exist in Ukrainian laws. He pointed out that cessation of broadcasting service is not mentioned as a form of punishment in the existing Ukrainian law on sanctions.
"In order to destroy the TV channels and the freedom of speech in Ukraine, Zelensky and his entourage resorted to full and open distortion of the sense of the law on sanctions, they resorted to a direct forgery, which is a criminal offence. The victims of this forgery include not just Ukrainian journalists, but millions of Ukrainian people, stripped of the right to obtain objective information," Medvedchuk claimed.
He also pointed out that the TV channels were taken off air on February 2, but the presidential order had only entered effect on January 4.
"All actions, aimed at blocking the TV channels, taken during these two days are completely illegal, and their direct executors must be brought to responsibility in accordance with the law," Medvedchuk said. "Especially so, considering that President Zelensky acknowledged this fact himself."
The politician pointed out that, on February 5, Zelensky signed an order, which cancelled a number of his previous orders.
"This is de-facto the first, but definitely not the last Zelensky’s acknowledgement of his illegal doings," Medvedchuk said.
On February 2, Zelensky signed the National Security and Defense Council decision to impose five-year sanctions on three TV channels - 112 Ukraine, NewsOne and ZIK - as well as their owner, OPFL lawmaker Taras Kozak. Later that day all three channels stopped broadcasting.