KIEV, May 13 (RIA Novosti) – Acting Ukrainian President Oleksandr Turchynov on Tuesday asked the country’s Justice Ministry to look into the Communist Party’s alleged separatist activities and possibly ban the group.
“There is a lot of information and materials in regard to the participation of the Communist Party’s representatives in the organization of terrorist and separatist activities,” Turchynov said.
“I would ask the Justice Ministry to look into this issue and if there is proof, then to send the material to court and ban the Communist Party in Ukraine,” he added.
The proposal came after Turchynov announced a decision to strip Communist Party leader Petro Symonenko of his right to address the country’s parliament.
Symonenko, who is also a presidential candidate, has been accused by Kiev of telling lies about the events in Mariupol in the Donetsk region, where Ukrainian troops are conducting a special operation.
The Communist Party leader earlier told parliament that special forces used grenade launchers against police who “had refused to comply with the criminal order to disperse protesters during the May 9 actions.”
Turchynov dismissed the claim, saying the security forces protected law enforcement in the city from unknown attackers who had tried to seize the police department.
Mariupol saw violent clashes between pro-Kiev forces and federalists on May 9, in which at least nine people died and another 42 were injured, according to the Donetsk regional administration.
The special operation launched by the Kiev regime to crack down on the protesters in eastern Ukraine has led to violent clashes with dozens of casualties. Moscow has condemned the operation as a dangerous development of events.
