Manifesto 42 is preparing warning protest against arbitrariness of rear security forces: Work of enterprises will be stopped
The Manifesto 42 civic movement has announced a move to more radical forms of protest against the pressure exerted by security forces on business. On 1 February, businesses promise to suspend operations for one hour.
According to Censor.NET, citing Interfax-Ukraine, this is stated in the movement's statement.
"We expect the state leadership to take further steps by 12:00 on 1 February 2024 to address the problem that threatens the national security of the state: the President of Ukraine and the government should develop and submit to the Verkhovna Rada legislative initiatives developed by the Manifesto 42 public movement with the involvement of leading lawyers aimed at limiting the abuse of power by werewolves in uniform during searches, seizure of accounts and property," the initiative said.
Among other things, the demands also include the initiation of a bill that would deprive all law enforcement agencies, except the BES, of the right to investigate economic crimes.
"Manifesto 42 expects the Cabinet of Ministers to initiate the creation of a permanent commission in the format "government - law enforcement agencies - business associations" to respond promptly to the arbitrariness of rear security forces in relation to business.
"The work of the commission should be public with the involvement of the media, and its decisions should be binding on law enforcement agencies," the movement said in a statement.
"Manifesto 42 also appealed to President Zelenskyy to declare his position on searches of businesses without a court order and access to lawyers, taking into account Article 42 of the Constitution, which guarantees the right to entrepreneurship, and hoping for the release of Ihor Mazepa from the pre-trial detention centre.
The movement stressed that if the authorities do not take these steps, Manifesto 42 will hold a warning protest against the arbitrariness of the rear security forces on 1 February 2024 at 12:00 a.m. and will partially suspend the work of enterprises for 1 hour, without prejudice to the fulfilment of defence orders.
"Frightened corrupt officials are hiding behind legal casuistry and loopholes in the law. But we have justice on our side. It's time for the government to show the people of Ukraine whose side they are on," the NGO concluded.
The case of Ihor Mazepa
Earlier it was reported that the State Bureau of Investigation detained Ukrainian businessman and founder of the investment company Concorde Capital Ihor Mazepa on 18 January while he was crossing the Ukrainian-Polish border.
Later, law enforcement officials reported that Mazepa was suspected of creating a criminal organisation and seizing 7 hectares of land near the Kyiv hydroelectric power station. It was established that it consisted of almost 20 people.
Concorde Capital denies the allegations.
Ihor Mazepa stated that he did not understand the grounds for his detention, as he had not personally made the decision to allocate the land.
On 19 January, Kyiv's Pechersk District Court imposed a pre-trial restraint on Concorde Capital's director, Igor Mazepa, in the form of detention until 27 February with the possibility of a UAH 349 million bail.
On 20 January, Yuriy Mazepa, the brother of previously arrested businessman Ihor Mazepa, was taken into custody with an alternative bail of UAH 44 million.
According to Andriy Gerus (Servant of the People), Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada Energy Committee, the SBI's statements regarding the land involved in the case of businessman Ihor Mazepa, that its development allegedly threatened the functioning of the Kyiv HPP, are not true - the land was not owned by the Kyiv HPP, is located 8 km away from it and does not pose a threat to the functioning of Kyiv's critical infrastructure. According to the MP, such statements by the SBI are a creative approach, but not a legal one.
