Sweeping New Anti-Protest Laws Spark Fresh Outrage in Ukraine

UPDATED: 10:22 AM ET

KIEV, UKRAINE — Outrage swept over Ukrainian civil society on Friday after the country’s parliament pushed through a package of laws designed to curb dissent and crack down on mass demonstrations.

Ukranian President Viktor Yanukovych announced that he had signed the new and controversial legislation into law in a statement posted to his official website on Friday. The legislation passed on Thursday by pro-government lawmakers by a simple show of hands counted in a matter of seconds.

Meanwhile, opposition leaders called the move “a constitutional coup d’état.” Read more...