KYIV. Feb 3 (Interfax) - Oleksandr Yefremov, leader of the Party of Regions faction in the Ukrainian parliament, said he does not believe the law on amnesty for people involved in the riots in Kyiv, which was passed last week, should be changed,
"They are saying: let's abolish this document and vote for another. I will consult with my faction. From my viewpoint, decent people don't do such things, and especially people who represent political force sin negotiations don't do such things," Yefremov told a briefing in Kyiv on Monday.
Yefremov said the parliament has adopted the law on amnesty, which was previously approved by the leaders of all factions. The opposition said it did not support the bill at the last moment, he said.
The law on amnesty was passed by the Ukrainian parliament on January 29. The opposition insisted on the release of protesters without any conditions and later called the adopted document "a law on pawns."
The law, entitled On the Elimination of Negative Consequences and the Prevention of the Persecution and Punishment of People in Connection with the Events That Occurred During Peaceful Assemblies, takes effect on the day, that information that protesters in administrative buildings leave them and then unblock Grushevsky Street, is posted on the website of the Ukrainian Prosecutor General's Office.
Under the law, which was posted on the website of the Ukrainian parliament on January 29, people suspected or charged with some crimes enshrined by the Ukrainian Criminal Code are exempt from criminal liability on condition that these crimes involve mass protests that began in late November 2013. The criminal cases opened on the basis of such crimes are closed under this law.