Ukraine's parliament passed a bill that they didn't read, using shady procedures to ram it through (Putincare?) in order to shut down protests over Ukraine's decision to join Russia rather than the European Union.
Now, after the bill is a law, the Ukrainians are finding out what was in the bill (tip to Instapundit). Ukrainians don't like the law and according to the article, are fighting "pitched battles" with the police in Kiev:
The list of new crimes enumerated in the documents that some Ukrainians are calling “The Law on Dictatorship” is long and targets all segments of Ukraine’s protesting population. For example, participants in the collective driving protest movement “AutoMaidan” now face a two-year suspension of their licenses and confiscation of their vehicles for driving a car that “moves in a column of more than five.”
The new laws also take a page from recent Putin initiatives and target civil society organizations. Now NGOs that receive foreign funding must register as “foreign agents” within three months or be dissolved. ... Those that are branded as “extremist” will be closed.
Defamation has been re-criminalized and “extremist activity”—which is poorly and broadly defined—can be punished by large fines and up to three years in prison. Online media outlets that have flourished throughout the protests will now have to contend with requirements to register themselves as “information agencies” and a very real possibility that the state will order internet providers to block their websites.
When protesting is made the equivalent of revolting, what incentive is there for the people to hold back?
