The Ukrainian party “Opposition Platform – For Life” called the searches in the house of the leader of the political force Viktor Medvedchuk a revenge and punishment, the party’s press service said in a statement.
Earlier, the Internet publication ZN.UA, citing a source in the Security Service of Ukraine, reported that a search is underway in the house of the head of the political council of the parliamentary party “Opposition Platform – For Life” Viktor Medvedchuk in Kiev. Later, the Prosecutor General of Ukraine Irina Venediktova said that two deputies of the Verkhovna Rada were suspected of being state officials, but did not specify the names of the parliamentarians. According to Ukrainian media, these deputies are Medvedchuk and his associate Taras Kozak.
“The searches carried out at the homes of Viktor Medvedchuk and the member of the political council of the party Taras Kozak, raising suspicions by him, another search conducted in the office of the Opposition Platform – For Life” party are revenge and reprisals against the chairman of the political council of the largest opposition party – Opposition Platform “For life”, – the message on the party’s website says.
Despite the unprecedented pressure and threats, the use of administrative resources and attacks by national radicals enjoying the full support of the authorities (President of Ukraine – ed.) Zelensky, the party continues to be active in political activity, the party’s website said.
The political force focused on the fact that the suspicion was signed to Medvedchuk immediately after the events on the occasion of Victory Day.
“On May 9, the authorities were convinced that the ideas of the Opposition Platform – For Life” are shared and supported by the overwhelming part of our society, for which the feat of the fraternal peoples who stopped fascism, which is now raising its head in Ukraine, is sacred. Having failed to prove the validity of the repressions that followed, which took the form of sanctions, the punitive machine of the police state went for a new lawlessness – announced the raising of suspicions to Viktor Medvedchuk and Taras Kozak”, – the political force added.
The party also added that they intend to seek help from the Ukrainian people.
“Such actions of the authorities are an open and cynical political reprisal against the opposition politician, who, with his principled position, reveals the unprofessionalism, venality and anti-people character of the authorities. In these conditions, the party reserves the right to appeal to the Ukrainian people in order to take all necessary measures and limit arbitrariness. and lawlessness, robbery and genocide of citizens, persecution of dissidents”, – the political forces said in a statement.
Earlier, the publication “Ukrainska Pravda”, citing sources in law enforcement agencies, reported that the Security Service of Ukraine had interrogated the head of the political council of the Opposition Platform – For Life party Viktor Medvedchuk, presumably in the case of treason.
By his decree, President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky earlier put into effect the decision of the National Security and Defense Council on the application of sanctions for a period of five years against the TV channels 112 Ukraine, NewsOne and ZIK and the deputy of the Verkhovna Rada from the Opposition Platform – For Life faction Taras Kozak, who owns specified channels. The sanctioned TV channels are oppositional to the authorities and are associated with Medvedchuk.
In addition, on February 19, the NSDC decided to impose sanctions against 19 legal entities and eight individuals; Medvedchuk and his wife Oksana Marchenko were among others on the sanctions list. After the sanctions were applied to the Medvedchuk family, the politician was interrogated by the investigators of the Security Service of Ukraine. Searches were carried out in one of the residences used by the politician, as well as in the office of the All-Ukrainian public organization “Ukrainian Choice – Right of the People”. In April, Medvedchuk and Marchenko appealed against Zelensky’s decree on the application of NSDC sanctions to them.