Ukraine to repeal law on state language?

Irina Berezhnaya Institute of Legal Policy and Social Protection initiated legal proceedings to ban the Speaker of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine Andriy Parubiy from signing the Law on the State Language”. The claim will block its preparation for entry into force, the press service of the Kiev District Administrative Court informed on Friday.

"The District Administrative Court of Kiev received a statement on securing a claim from the NGO Irina Berezhnaya Institute of Legal Policy and Social Protection, to the Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine, Andriy Parubiy, on the prohibition to sign the law " On ensuring the functioning of the Ukrainian language as a state language,” RIA Novosti reports.

Now it is decided, whether there is a legal basis for such a claim to be addressed, the court’s press service reported.

After the adoption of the law by the Verkhovna Rada, the speaker of the parliament must sign it. Then, the document is sent for the signature of the president, and then it is officially published, after which it enters into force.

Earlier, the Ukrainian Parliament of Ukraine adopted the law "On ensuring the functioning of the Ukrainian language as a state language", which provides for the use of exclusively Ukrainian language in almost all spheres of life - it should become mandatory for state authorities and local governments, all educational institutions, hospitals and service sector.

The Permanent Representative of Russia to the OSCE, Alexander Lukashevich, criticized the draft law on languages ​​adopted by the Verkhovna Rada, noting that Ukrainians were de facto divided into Ukrainian-speaking citizens and ‘outcasts’ whose opportunities to study, receive medical treatment and use other social services would be significantly limited.

The law provides for exceptions for English and other EU languages. ”This means that the only target of an attack is the Russian language, which is spoken by the overwhelming majority of Ukrainian citizens, and for many it is native,” Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said.