Eurasia Press & News
Ukraine’s pro-EU opposition leaders jetted to Germany for talks with Angela Merkel on Monday as the country took a small step to resolving its worst post-Soviet crisis with the adoption of a political amnesty.
A law dropping criminal charges against hundreds of protesters came into force a day after they left municipal buildings occupied in December in response to President Viktor Yanukovych’s decision to reject an EU trade deal in favour of closer ties with Russia.
However nearly three months after the protests began, the opposition remains firmly entrenched in a sprawling tent city on Kiev’s central Independence Square. Activists have also been allowed to continue occupying several public buildings.
Yanukovych proposed the amnesty at the beginning of the month as he sought to pacify protesters following deadly clashes in Kiev in January.
“Something very important has happened. We have proved that we do not abandon our comrades in trouble,” said nationalist Svoboda (Freedom) party leader Oleg Tyagnybok.
