Zelenskyy signs bill prohibiting imports of books from Russia, Belarus
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President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has signed a bill on banning the import of books from Russia and Belarus, the president’s press service reported on June 22.
The bill is aimed at restricting Russian and Belarusian influence on Ukrainian book publishing and distribution as a means to counter the aggression of these states.
It also underwent additional assessment by EU institutions to ensure the protection of minority rights, particularly linguistic rights, in line with the European Commission's recommendation on Ukraine's EU accession.
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"I believe this law is the right decision," Zelenskyy wrote.
However, the new law has faced criticism and was vetoed by the Ministry of Justice and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs for potentially violating certain provisions of the Ukrainian Constitution, and for not aligning with EU law. Nevertheless, a petition supporting the initiative gathered enough signatures to proceed.
In the midst of public debate on the issue, a social media campaign called #TimeToSignTheBookLaw was launched. Prominent writers, publishers, and public figures, including Oksana Zabuzhko, Tamara Horikha-Zernia, and Volodymyr Viatrovych, joined the campaign.
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Read the original article on The New Voice of Ukraine
