JURIST Supported by the University of Pittsburgh
PAPER CHASE NEWSBURSTDigest RSS feedFull RSS feed
Serious law. Primary sources. Global perspective.


Tuesday, June 05, 2012

Ukraine to approve Russian language in official settings
Rebecca DiLeonardo at 10:00 AM ET

Photo source or description
[JURIST] The Ukrainian Parliament [official website] on Tuesday passed [press release] the first reading of a controversial bill that would allow Russian to be spoken in official settings in particular regions of the Ukraine. Opponents to the bill expressed concern [Reuters report] that the inclusion of Russian would divide the nation. The new bill would preserve Ukrainian as the official language of the Ukraine, but would make Russian a regional option in areas with a dense population of Russian-speaking residents. The bill must pass a second vote in order to become law. Opposition groups have said they will continue to stage protests.

Pro-western Ukrainians are wary of increased Russian influence in the country. In April 2010 Ukrainian prosecutors considered filing criminal charges after a Parliament session in which lawmakers hurled eggs and smoke bombs and engaged in physical violence in an attempt to prevent a vote [JURIST report] on a Russian treaty. The chaos erupted as lawmakers voted to approved a treaty that extended Russia's lease on a naval base in the Ukrainian Sevastopol port on the Black Sea until 2042 in exchange for discounted Russian gas. The agreement was strongly opposed by pro-Western lawmakers who see Russian influence as reminiscent of Soviet occupation. The treaty came soon after the election [JURIST report] of President Viktor Yanukovych [official website, in Ukrainian], who took office in February of that year. Yanukovych replaced Viktor Yushchenko [JURIST news archive], who had sought to cut ties with Russia and strengthen relationships with Western Europe. Yushchenko opposed the extension of Russia's Black Sea lease.




Link |  | print | subscribe | RSS feeds | latest newscast | Facebook page

For more legal news check the Paper Chase Archive...


LATEST LEGAL NEWS

 Supreme Court rules on scope of federal agencies' jurisdiction
2:35 PM ET, May 20

 Supreme Court rules on foreign taxes
1:36 PM ET, May 20

 Supreme Court rules defendant not entitled to federal habeas relief
12:53 PM ET, May 20

 click for more...

Get JURIST legal news delivered daily to your e-mail!

LATEST FORUM

The War on Terror and the Need for Muslim Support
DOMESTIC
Faisal Kutty
Valparaiso University Law School

ABOUT

Paper Chase is JURIST's real-time legal news service, powered by a team of 30 law student reporters and editors led by law professor Bernard Hibbitts at the University of Pittsburgh School of Law. As an educational service, Paper Chase is dedicated to presenting important legal news and materials rapidly, objectively and intelligibly in an accessible, ad-free format.

CONTACT

Paper Chase welcomes comments, tips and URLs from readers. E-mail us at JURIST@jurist.org