STRASBOURG (Sputnik), Daria Chernyshova — Council of Europe Secretary General Thorbjorn Jagland said Tuesday that caution should be exercised when banning political parties.
Jagland's comments refer to a ban on Communist Party of Ukraine enacted July 2014, because there were not enough members to meet national requirements. Recently, authorities announced that they now seek to ban the party outright through court action.
"I am not a judge in such cases. We should always be cautious in banning anything or any political parties," Jagland said.
He added, however, that there might be circumstances when it could be necessary.
On April 9, the Ukrainian parliament also passed a bill to ban display, sale or use of Soviet Communist propaganda and symbols, alongside similar Nazi paraphernalia.
