Anti-government demonstrators in the Ukrainian capital Kyiv have been protesting against laws passed by parliament on January 16, which virtually ban all forms of peaceful protest.<br /><br />Many protesters carried banners and wore plasters across their mouths emblazoned with the word “dictatorship”.<br /><br />The anti-protest legislation has led to accusations that President Viktor Yanukovych is turning Ukraine into a police state.<br /><br />One protester told euronews: “We are not allowed to express our opinions. They forbade extremist expressions, forbade the wearing of helmets!”<br /><br />“I can’t even comment on the procedure of yesterday’s parliamentary voting,” another demonstrator said. “Everything is illegal, everything is against the people!”<br /><br />The new laws have been strongly condemned by the European Union and the United States.<br /><br />US Secretary of State John Kerry said: “The steps that were taken yesterday are anti-democratic, they’re wrong, they are taking from the people of Ukraine their choice and their opportunity for the future.”<br /><br />Protests have gripped Kyiv since Yanukovych’s government suspended talks on a long-planned free trade deal with the EU in November. <br /><br />Some political analysts have warned that the legislation, introduced in an attempt to quash the demonstrations, might have the opposite effect – giving the opposition movement more momentum.
