MOSCOW, May 19 (RIA Novosti) - There are violations of democratic standards in Ukraine. The State Duma, Russia's lower parliamentary house, is determined to highlight the issue at the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe. The Duma will order the Russian PACE delegation to pose it at an Assembly session.
The house also intends to call on international institutions to pay attention to alarming trends in Ukrainian domestic policies, which run counter to the principles of the OSCE -- Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe.
Involved parliamentary committees have drafted a related statement, to be offered to the Duma at tomorrow's session.
The draft points out profound Duma concern with numerous instances of Ukrainian political opposition activists persecuted by the recently established regime. These activists are dismissed en masse not only from civil service but from educational, research and cultural establishments, as well.
A number of prominent political and public activists have made public pronouncements against the regime's policies. These people are now under arrest, says the draft statement.
The new regime is out to grab political and ideological control of the mass media, non-government outlets included. Journalists who dare to criticize authorities are pressured.
The regime has launched a selective re-privatization of Ukrainian-based corporate majors with Russian capital participation. That, too, alarms Russian parliamentarians.
"Such moves as that make one doubt whether Ukrainian authorities really mean it when they announce their intention to promote a law-based market economy. These moves threaten to result in bad political hazards for overseas capital investors, Russians being no exception.
"All that is out of compliance with a line the new Ukrainian authorities have declared, aimed at a democratic political system, guaranteed human rights, and a latter-day market economy," warns the statement.
