"This is not reform, but rollback": hundreds protest in Kyiv against new Civil Code. PHOTOS
On the evening of Tuesday, May 5, several hundred people gathered in Kyiv’s Mariinskyi Park for a protest against the new Civil Code, which the Verkhovna Rada backed in the first reading.
This was reported by hromadske, Ukrinform and Suspilne, Censor.NET reports.
More about the protest
About 300-400 people gathered at the site. The rally was organized by the March of Women charity organization. Participants are demanding that the draft Civil Code be revised before it is adopted in the second reading so that it does not contain provisions that could discriminate against people.
- People chanted "Shame" and held placards reading "Land grabbing is also part of good morals", "A law without me is against me", "The Devil wears 15150", "Mr Stefanchuk, are you good-moraled enough?", "Divorce is not a privilege", "800 pages of cringe", "LGBT soldiers are dying for this?" and others.
Similar protests are planned to take place in the coming days in Kharkiv, Lviv, Vinnytsia, Ivano-Frankivsk, Chernivtsi and Odesa.
What is known about the new Civil Code
- As a reminder, on April 28, MPs of the Verkhovna Rada backed the draft new Civil Code in the first reading.
- The first version of the code was published on January 22. Five days later, 26 civil society organizations said in a joint statement that the amendments to the code contradicted European legislation and EU requirements for membership in the bloc.
In particular, this concerned an article that lowered the marriage age for girls with early pregnancy to 14. The provision on marriage from the age of 14 was later removed, and the same MPs, led by Verkhovna Rada Speaker Ruslan Stefanchuk, subsequently submitted an alternative draft code, which parliament adopted in the first reading on April 28.
Under the code, in divorce proceedings, a court may, at its discretion, give spouses time for "reconciliation" if this is in line with "good morals". At the same time, the draft does not clearly define "good morals", MP Inna Sovsun said.
- Human rights organizations pointed out that the draft law contains provisions that discriminate against LGBTIQ+ people and contradict Ukraine’s commitments during its accession to the EU. In particular, same-sex partners would not be recognized as a family.
The Holka coalition wrote that the purpose of the new draft is to legalize illegally alienated state and municipal property. In particular, this concerns forests, coastlines, archaeological sites and cultural heritage sites.
