Latest news with #Rada
Spectator
25 minutes ago
- Politics
- Spectator
Zelensky's war on Ukraine's anti-corruption agencies is a disaster
Cries of 'Shame!' rang out in the Rada, Ukraine's parliament, today as lawmakers from Volodymyr Zelensky's Servant of the People Party, backed by most opposition parties, voted to bring key independent anti-corruption agencies under government control. The new law, which was backed by 263 lawmakers with just 26 opposing or abstaining, has sparked widespread condemnation from many politicians and civil society activists who had previously been loyal champions of Zelensky's. The dismemberment of the national anti-corruption bureau (NABU) and the special anti-corruption prosecutor's office (SAPO) has also caused deep disquiet among Ukraine's leading international backers. Zelensky's government seems to have seriously miscalculated the mood of ordinary Ukrainian people. 'Seriously concerned over today's vote in the Rada,' tweeted European Commissioner for Enlargement Marta Kos. 'The dismantling of key safeguards protecting NABU's independence is a serious step back. Independent bodies like NABU and SAPO, are essential for Ukraine's EU path. Rule of law remains in the very centre of EU accession negotiations.' Toomas Hendrik Ilves, president of Estonia from 2006-12, described the move as 'a complete disaster' that will 'fuel all those in Europe who think helping Ukraine is pointless, not to mention the whole Russian narrative of Ukrainians just stealing the West's assistance for private enrichment, a narrative we have fought for years.' The Rada vote came days after Ukraine's security service carried out 70 simultaneous raids on senior investigators from the NABU and SAPO agencies, reportedly without court warrants. They also searched the home of Vitaliy Shabunin, head of the anti-corruption action centre (AntAC) independent NGO, as well as those of his family and friends. 'Taking advantage of the war, Volodymyr Zelensky is taking the first but confident steps towards corrupt authoritarianism,' Shabunin wrote on Telegram. Daria Kaleniuk, executive director of AntAC and once a leading defender of Zelensky's, called accusations of fraud and misuse of state resources 'absurd' and described the case as a 'vendetta for what…our organisation is doing and will keep doing about corruption and wrongdoing of authorities.' A government spokesperson explained the raids and arrests as a campaign to weed out Russian agents, who the government claims are using corruption charges to undermine Ukraine's war effort. Indeed, several senior Zelensky allies have fallen because of both civil society and NABU-driven anticorruption probes, though there is no evidence that these charges have any links to Moscow-funded troublemakers. Defence minister Reznikov resigned in 2023 after evidence of massive overcharging by army suppliers was published by the Nashi Groshy watchdog website; and last month, deputy prime minister Chernyshov has also faced corruption charges. NABU and SAPO were working on 268 cases of corruption against Zelensky allies when they were taken over, says Kyrylo Shevchenko, former head of Ukraine's Central Bank. 'The next to go will be anti-corruption activists and independent journalists,' says Shevchenko. 'Zelensky is copying Putin.' What concerns disillusioned former Zelensky allies and his opponents alike is that the takedown of NABU and SAPO are part of a long pattern of rollback of anti-corruption checks and balances by Zelensky's presidential administration. The agencies were established at the behest of the European Union, which required them to be independent from the government, with leadership chosen through transparent, fair competitions, not political appointments. But earlier this year, Ukraine's presidential administration blocked the appointment of a new independent head of the bureau of economic security or BEB – another powerful law enforcement agency – insisting on a regime loyalist instead. The law will make all the formerly independent economic crime institutions of Ukraine subordinate to the government-appointed prosecutor general Ruslan Kravchenko – who himself failed to qualify to be a regular prosecutor due to previous corruption allegations, but was promoted by Zelensky anyway. 'By liquidating NABU, Zelensky is liquidating the last investigative body that could investigate his corruption,' wrote Anatoly Shariy, one of Ukraine's most popular YouTubers and head of a pro-Russian Eurosceptic party. 'He will receive billions from the West. And steal, steal, steal.' Zelensky's government seems to have seriously miscalculated the mood of ordinary Ukrainian people. 'This isn't what our people have been fighting and dying for,' wrote Olga Rudenko, editor-in-chief of the Kyiv Independent. 'It's devastatingly unfair to them.' Wall Street Journal chief foreign correspondent Yaroslav Trofimov, himself a native of Kyiv, reports that 'it's no exaggeration that Ukrainian public opinion is in an absolute firestorm.' For the first time since the Russian invasion in February 2022, prominent public figures have called for demonstrations against the government. Perhaps more seriously, Zelensky seems to have badly misread the room in terms of the impact on his backers in the West. International anti-corruption bodies, Ukrainian civil society groups, the independent Ukrainian press and Western diplomats have all been warning Zelensky that passing this law could jeopardise Ukraine's EU accession process, cancel its visa-free regime, and even trigger EU sanctions against Ukraine. But he went ahead and did it anyway. In the wake of the Rada vote, Ukraine's anti-corruption action centre published a mock up of a Time Magazine cover featuring Zelensky – but with half his face covered by that of Viktor Yanukovych, his corrupt predecessor. Yanukovych's wholesale plundering of the state was one of the main triggers of the 2014 Maidan revolution. Just a year ago, any equivalence between Zelensky and Yanukovych would have seemed absurd. Today, many of those making exactly that grim comparison were once Zelensky's most passionate supporters.
France 24
an hour ago
- Politics
- France 24
EU says Ukraine's blocks on anti-graft bodies 'a serious step back'
The EU's enlargement commissioner on Tuesday slammed a vote by Ukrainian lawmakers to remove the independence of two anti-corruption bodies in the war-torn country. "Seriously concerned over today's vote in the Rada. The dismantling of key safeguards protecting NABU's independence is a serious step back," Marta Kos wrote on X, using the initials of the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine. Kos said the independence of the agency, and of an anti-graft prosecutor's office, were "essential for Ukraine's EU path". Ukrainian MPs on Tuesday approved amendments to remove the independence of two anti-corruption bodies, a day after the arrest of an official working in one of the agencies. Ukraine has stepped up its anti-graft measures over the past decade in a bid to join the EU, but corruption scandals continue to plague the country, even after the Russian invasion. Despite widespread criticism from NGOs and rights groups, parliament voted 263 to 13 to place two government anti-corruption agencies, the NABU and SAPO, under the direct authority of the Prosecutor General, who is appointed by the president. The National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU) finds and investigates instances of corruption among state institutions while the Specialised Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office (SAPO) prosecutes corruption. The EU said earlier that it was "concerned about Ukraine's recent action with regard to its anti-corruption institutions", emphasising that the European body "provides significant financial assistance to Ukraine, conditional on progress in transparency, judicial reform and democratic governance". The Anti-Corruption Action Center, a Ukrainian NGO, said that the law essentially made the anti-corruption agencies meaningless as leader Volodymyr "Zelensky's Prosecutor General will stop investigations into all of the president's friends". On Monday, law enforcement conducted large-scale raids at the NABU, detaining one employee on suspicion of spying for Russia. Transparency International's Ukraine office called the raids an "attempt by the authorities to undermine the independence of Ukraine's post-Revolution of Dignity anti-corruption institutions". The NABU began work in 2015, after a 2014 pro-European protest movement dubbed the Revolution of Dignity, as part of reforms designed to move Kyiv closer to Europe as it fought Moscow-backed separatists in its east. Transparency International ranked Ukraine 105 out of 180 countries in its "corruption perceptions index" in 2024, up from 144 in 2013.
The National
4 days ago
- Politics
- The National
Libyan prison militia chief arrested in Germany
A Libyan militia leader wanted by the International Criminal Court has been arrested in Berlin and is awaiting extradition. Khaled Al Hishri, who is wanted for war crimes allegedly committed as a militia leader in control of Tripoli's fearsome Mitiga Prison, was arrested Germany on Wednesday, the ICC confirmed to The National. The Brandenburg Public Prosecutor told Reuters it was preparing a transfer to The Hague for a Libyan national whose surname is Al Hishri. Mr Al Hishri is a senior commander in the Special Deterrence Forces, also known as Rada, an Islamist militia aligned with the UN-backed government in Tripoli. Rada serves as a de facto military police force that controls the prison, the main airport and neighbouring airbase. His arrest warrant was issued on July 10, with allegations that he had 'committed, ordered or overseen' war crimes including 'murder, torture, rape and sexual violence' in Libya from February 2015 to 2020. 'The ICC continues to prioritise stronger internal co-ordination and deeper external co-operation to implement judicial orders and arrest warrants, which are essential steps for proceedings to move forward and for victims to see justice delivered,' said the ICC registrar Osvaldo Zavala Giler. 'I thank the national authorities for their strong and consistent co-operation with the court, including leading to this recent arrest.' The arrest comes months after the ICC's thwarted attempt to arrest Usama 'Al Masri' Najeem, Rada's leader and Libya's police chief. Al Masri was arrested in Italy in January but returned to Libya on an Italian government plane two days later, for what the Italian government said were 'inaccuracies' in the ICC warrant issued in his name. Rights groups said at the time that the move was politically motivated by Italian premier Giorgia Meloni's migrant deal to provide economic support in exchange for Libya cracking down on illegal migration into Europe. Al Masri was wanted over the deaths 34 detainees and more than 20 cases of sexual abuse including of a five-year-old child, which took place in Mitiga under his watch, the ICC's arrest warrant said at the time. Earlier this week, the Libyan government appeared to be caving to growing international pressure over rights abuses in its prisons, issuing an official summons for Al Masri, and revoking immunities over the allegations against him in an ICC arrest warrant. Campaign group Refugees in Libya, which is composed of survivors of the country's detention centres, welcomed Al Hishri's detention and referred to the failed arrest of Al Masri. 'All eyes on Germany as it is doing what the Meloni administration chose not to do,' the group wrote on social media.
Time of India
5 days ago
- Politics
- Time of India
Ukraine MP Criticising Zelensky's Mobilisation Laws Booted Out Of Parliament
Ukrainian President Zelensky clashed with MP Oleksiy Goncharenko in the Rada after the MP asked about demobilisation for troops. Zelensky said soldiers will return home only after victory and told Goncharenko he should join the frontlines. The MP fired back, accusing Zelensky of lacking conscience. Communication signals in parliament were reportedly jammed during his speech. Ukraine's new mobilisation law mandates all conscripts to update their data, carry IDs at all times, and allows forced recruitment despite reports of beatings and abductions.
Libya Review
5 days ago
- Politics
- Libya Review
Libyan Militia Leader Arrested in Germany Under ICC Warrant
Khaled al-Hishri, also known as 'Al-Buti', a senior commander in Libya's controversial Rada militia, has been arrested by German authorities at Frankfurt Airport. The arrest took place earlier this month but only came to light recently through reports in the Italian newspaper Avvenire. Al-Hishri is the deputy of Osama Najim, the head of operations for the Judicial Police, who is also wanted by the International Criminal Court (ICC). According to Avvenire, al-Hishri was detained based on a sealed arrest warrant issued by the ICC in The Hague for serious crimes allegedly committed in Libya. These crimes include arbitrary detention, torture, sexual violence, confiscation of property, and inhumane treatment of detainees—primarily at Mitiga prison in Tripoli, which was under the control of the Rada Special Deterrence Force. The ICC had recently confirmed to the United Nations Security Council the issuance of six new arrest warrants related to crimes in Libya, though most of them remained confidential. It is now widely believed that al-Hishri is one of those targeted. Al-Hishri's arrest comes amid mounting international pressure over the human rights abuses associated with the Rada militia, which has long operated as a powerful armed group with links to Libya's interior institutions. Despite its formal ties to the central government, Rada has been accused of functioning as a parallel security apparatus, operating beyond judicial oversight. Two days before al-Hishri's arrest, Libya's Government of National Unity in Tripoli revoked all functional immunities for his superior, Usama al-Masri. That move signaled a possible shift in official posture, amid growing scrutiny from international bodies and mounting evidence of war crimes. Human rights groups have long demanded accountability for violations inside Mitiga prison. A 2021 report by the UN Panel of Experts documented widespread abuses under al-Hishri's supervision. Investigators cited credible testimony of arbitrary detention, torture, sexual abuse, and humiliation of women, alongside reports of systematic theft and extortion. The German judiciary is now reviewing the ICC's extradition request. If approved, al-Hishri could become the first Libyan militia leader extradited to The Hague to face trial. His transfer would be a landmark development for international justice and could pave the way for further prosecutions tied to crimes committed by armed groups in post-revolution Libya. Reactions from European lawmakers have already surfaced. Some critics have called for consistency in the handling of war crimes suspects, referencing Italy's controversial repatriation of Usama al-Masri earlier this year. Others, including international rights activists, have called al-Hishri's arrest a rare opportunity to hold perpetrators accountable. Tags: germanyicclibyamilitiasWar Crimes
