Political crisis deepens in Ukraine

(Vatican Radio) Clashes between protesters and police continued in Ukraine's capital Kyiv on Monday, amid a deepening political crisis in the former Soviet nation. The European Union expressed concern about the situation and urged the government to cancel controversial anti-protest legislation, which prompted the latest unrest.



Monday's riots followed a night of violence that already left as many as 130 people injured. Protesters, threw rocks and stun grenades, while police responded with tear gas.

The violence has seriously escalated Ukraine's political crisis, which has been marked by two months of largely peaceful rallies where priests prayed for demonstrators, who want closer ties with the EU.


The crowds are furious that President Viktor Yanukovych pushed through a tough anti-protest law that significantly increased fines and imposed jail terms for unauthorized street protests.



Yet the government has blamed protesters for the violence.


"We can no longer say that this is a peaceful protest," said a government spokesman. "They tried to break through the police cordon. They used sticks, teargas and explosives. They were throwing stones at police. Three buses were vandalized, one of them was burning."

However opposition leaders point out that tens of thousands of people peacefully demonstrated Sunday at Kiev's Independence Square.


The European Union is concerned about the situation.


On Monday, the 28-nation bloc's foreign ministers urged Ukraine's government to scrap the anti-protest legislation, which they said limits freedom of expression,

and the holding of peaceful protests.

The ministers stressed the law was rammed through Ukraine's Parliament last week under "doubtful procedural circumstances".


Amid mounting pressure, President Yanukovych pledged to negotiate with opposition leaders and that a cross-party commission would be set up on Monday to try to resolve the crisis.


The pro-EU protests in Kiev began in November after President Viktor Yanukovych shelved a long-planned political and economic treaty with the EU.


Instead he opted for closer ties with Russia in exchange for a 15-billion dollar bailout package, and reduced prices for natural gas.




Listen to the report from regional correspondant Stefan Bos: