Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky says he has submitted a draft law to reinstate the freedom of two anti-corruption bodies in Ukraine - days after nationwide protests broke out over changes curbing their independence.

Kyiv’s Western partners had also expressed serious concerns over the legislation.

On Thursday, Zelensky backtracked, saying the new bill was intended to safeguard the independence of Ukraine’s National Anti-Corruption Bureau (Nabu) and Specialised Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office (Sap), and to protect them from Russian influence.

Nabu said that the new bill “restored all procedural powers and guarantees of independence” of the two bodies.

The law passed earlier this week brought Nabu and Sap under the control of the prosecutor general, who is appointed by the president.

  • Hotznplotzn@lemmy.sdf.org
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    5 days ago

    Good to see that people’s protests (and democratic allies’ concerns) lead to a change in politics.

  • NoneOfUrBusiness@fedia.io
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    5 days ago

    Ukrainians have my respect for recognizing this as the step towards authoritarianism it was and acting promptly. This is what democracy is supposed to look like.

    • BrightCandle@lemmy.world
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      5 days ago

      I feel like democracy shouldn’t be constantly protesting against the things as politicians continue to take power away from the people, it should be the people bringing great analysis and ideas to governments to implement. The entire system is backwards, we spend all our time fighting the politicians who are constantly becoming more corrupt trying to take more power and more money for businesses they profit from. We deserve the politicians we get because we just don’t see what it could become better with less awful people in charge.

    • jaybone@lemmy.zip
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      5 days ago

      We should say either:

      How something is supposed to look.

      Or

      What something is supposed to look like.

  • Lembot_0004@discuss.online
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    5 days ago

    Zelensky backtracks on law over anti-corruption bodies, reinstates their independence after protests

    is not equal to

    Zelensky says he has submitted a draft law to reinstate the freedom of two anti-corruption bodies

    • randomname@scribe.disroot.orgOP
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      5 days ago

      Zelensky is the president, his draft must be turned into law by the parliament now. So your comment appears to be a bit of nitpicking.

      Nabu said that the new bill “restored all procedural powers and guarantees of independence” of the two bodies.

      Addition:

      Meduza reports:

      The National Anti-Corruption Bureau (NABU) welcomed the bill, saying it “restores all procedural powers and guarantees of independence for NABU and the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office (SAPO).” The agency noted that both institutions had taken part in drafting the legislation.

      • Null User Object@lemmy.world
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        5 days ago

        Zelensky. … reinstates their independence after protests

        No he hasn’t. Not yet. He’s started the process, but they do not, yet, have their independence reinstated. That’s the point the person you’re responding to was trying to make. Your headline (which doesn’t match that of the linked article) claims their independence is already reinstated, when, in fact, it isn’t.