Ukrainian opposition to organize protest actions during Eurovision-2005

The Ukrainian opposition legislators from the Social Democratic Party and the Party of Regions blocked the parliament's platform on Thursday. The opposition supporters rallied around the building of the Parliament. They demanded the release from prison of the detained opposition leaders: the ex-governor of Transcarpathian region Ivan Rizak and the chairman of the Donetsk regional legislature Boris Kolesnikiov.

The opposition plans to organize protest actions on the streets of Kiev, reports RIA Novosti, citing the leader of the Party of Regions Victor Yanukovich. The activists will picket the Sports Palace, the venue of the pan-European song contest "Eurovision-2005", to attract attention of the international community to the "political repressions" in Ukraine.

Speaking in front of his supporters, Mr. Yanukovich said that more than 18 thousands people had lost their jobs for expressing the opposition views. He claimed, the opposition wouldn't allow people to be persecuted for their political views. He urged the protesters to keep fighting for the release of the prominent oppositionist from prison.

Yanukovich underlined that the acting authorities have divided the people in two parts: the loyal and the disloyal, the "ours" and the "not ours".

NR

On the photo: Victor Yanukovich