The draft law (registration number 10459) on recognizing the scandalous language law “On ensuring the functioning of the Ukrainian language as the state language” as invalid has been registered in the Verkhovna Rada on July 16, 2019. The authors of the bill were the deputies from the OPPOSITION BLOC Vadim Novinsky, Alexander Vilkul, Yevgeniy Murayev.
According to the authors of the draft law, the Constitution and the Framework Convention for the Protection of National Minorities ratified by Ukraine and the European Charter for Regional Languages guarantee the free development, use and protection of all languages of national minorities residing in Ukraine. Language law violates these norms in terms of guarantees for the development of Russian and other minority languages (Art. 10 and 11) and in part of the prohibition of discrimination (Art. 24).
In addition, the language bill was passed with gross violations. The chairman of the meeting, Andrei Parubiy, put it to the vote, violating the procedure clearly described by the Rules of Procedure. Also, numerous facts of non-personal voting of deputies were recorded, grossly violating the requirements of the Constitution and the Regulations of the Verkhovna Rada.
The leader of the OPPOSITION BLOC faction, Vadim Novinsky, emphasized that it is very important to respect the constitutional rights of every citizen in the language issue of a multi-ethnic bilingual country like Ukraine. Opposition members consistently stand for the Ukrainian language as a state language, for the free development of the Russian language, for access to education in the native languages of national minorities. But the OPPOSITION BLOC will not allow the incitement of language war in Ukraine.
On June 21, 2019, the OPPOSITION BLOC transmitted to the Constitutional Court of Ukraine a constitutional idea of recognizing a language law that is contrary to the Constitution.
