Ukrainian Verkhovna Rada abolished draconian laws introduced on January 16

Members of Parliament voted against the establishment of dictatorship in the country.

A total of 361 lawmakers out of 412 present voted to repeal the controversial antiprotest legislation at a special session of parliament on January 28, RFE/RL informs. President Viktor Yanukovich agreed to abolish them on January 27 after talks with opposition leaders, who have made their repeal a key demand.

Let us recall that earlier this month Ukrainian Parliament passed a law already referred to as “unconstitutional coup”, as its provisions toughen the legislation in different spheres – from rules of conducting demonstrations to the rules for purchasing SIM cards. The laws had sparked violent clashes between antigovernment protesters and riot police when they were enacted.