Ukrainian police use teargas against language bill protesters

PanARMENIAN.Net - Police in the Ukrainian capital Kyiv used tear gas after clashes broke out at a demonstration on Wednesday, July 4 morning against a bill significantly enhancing the status of the Russian language in the country, which was passed in a final reading on Tuesday, RIA Novosti reports.

Meanwhile, President Viktor Yanukovych threatened to consider holding early parliamentary elections, as both the speaker and deputy speaker of the Rada quit on Wednesday in protest at the bill.

If President Yanukovych signs the bill into law, Russian will acquire the status of a regional language in regions where it is the native tongue for at least 10 percent of the population, or 13 out of Ukraine’s 27 administrative-territorial entities, including the capital Kyiv.

Under the bill, Ukrainian would actually remain the only state language, but restrictions would be lifted on the use of other languages spoken in the country, including Russian, Bulgarian, Romanian and Hungarian, granting them official regional status.