Ukraine Permanently Bans Far-Left Communist Party, Beijing Silent

A general view of the building of the Court of Appeal in Kyiv, on May 20, 2022. (Yasuyoshi Chiba/AFP via Getty Images)

A Ukrainian court has recently ruled to permanently ban the Communist Party of Ukraine (KPU) and confiscate its assets amid the ongoing Ukrainian-Russian war. Analysts believe that the decision reflects the world’s awakening to the dangers of the communist ideology and the far-left political parties that are in tow. China’s ruling Chinese Communist Party has remained silent on the ban, despite being close to the KPU.

The Eighth Administrative Court of Appeal in Lviv issued a statement along with the ruling, “The court has satisfied the claims of the Ministry of Justice of Ukraine: the activities of the Communist Party of Ukraine have been banned; the property, funds, and other assets of the party; its regional, city, district organizations, primary centers, and other structural entities have been transferred to the state.”

Huge Blow to CCP

Iranian, Russia, and Chinese warships during a joint military drill in the Indian ocean. Iran, Russia and China will began today joint naval drills for three days in the Indian Ocean, seeking to reinforce "common security", an Iranian naval official said on Jan. 21 2022. (Iranian Army office/AFP via Getty Images)

Li Yuanhua, a former professor at Capital Normal University in Beijing, told The Epoch Times on July 8 that Ukraine’s ban of the KPU is a huge blow to the CCP.

“Actually, Ukraine has realized, when Russia invaded, that Russia’s confidence was based on the secret support of the CCP. Ukraine also saw that only communist countries in the world have no morality. Through the war, they have a deeper understanding of the dangers that the communist parties pose to mankind. That’s why they made such a clear verdict.”

Lee Yeau-tarn, a professor at Taiwan’s National Chengchi University, told The Epoch Times on July 8 that after the Russian invasion, Ukraine banned several left-wing political parties that are pro-Russian. He said he believes that Ukraine’s permanent ban on communist parties shows the awakening of the international democratic forces.

“Russia invaded Ukraine, the CCP virus (COVID-19) is raging around the world, as well as the CCP’s suppression of Hong Kong, its threats against Taiwan, and its claims and occupation of islands and reefs in the South China Sea. Russia and the CCP conducted a joint military exercise near the Sea of Japan. It all shows their intent to undermine the current international order that is based on the rules of liberal democracy,“ he said. ”Under this circumstance, Ukraine’s resolution to totally break away from them has clearly showed that liberal democracy and totalitarian dictatorship cannot coexist.”

A resident of Baku, in the southern Soviet republic of Azerbaijan, uses an axe to hack apart a placard showing a portrait of Russian Bolshevik revolutionary leader Vladimir Lenin, on Sept. 21, 1991. (Anatoly Sapronenkov/AFP/Getty Images)

Regarding the confiscation of the property of the KPU, Li Yuanhua said, “For example, the assets of the CCP belong to Chinese people. To confiscate the assets of the KPU is to return the property of the people taken by Communist Party of the Soviet Union (which was partially inherited by the KPU) to the nation and to the people. This is a correct decision.”

Li said that those countries that have been ruled by communist totalitarianism have a deep understanding of the harm that the communist ideology has brought to human beings.

“Like the Czech Republic before, countries in Eastern Europe, including Ukraine, have been cleansing out communist toxins. This time, Ukraine’s permanent ban of the communist party through law, including confiscation of its property, is actually the choice of the Ukrainian people.”

He said that the ban is a signal to CCP members, “If the Chinese people know that the CCP is actually bringing disaster to all mankind, they should quit the CCP as soon as possible and choose a better future, instead of following the CCP to the end.”

Decommunization Laws

The KPU was the ruling party in the Soviet era. Ukraine became independent from the former Soviet Union in 1991. As early as Aug. 30, 1991, the Ukrainian Verkhovna Rada (Parliament) announced the ban of the Communist Party of Ukraine and its activities. However, the Ukrainian Constitutional Court invalidated the ban in December 2001.

On April 9, 2015, the Verkhovna Rada passed a series of decommunization laws, including “on the condemnation of the communist and Nazi totalitarian regimes” that forbids both Soviet and Nazi symbols. Violations are punishable by up to five years in prison for an individual and up to 10 years in prison for members of an organization.

Before the permanent ban, the KPU was banned from standing in elections since July 24, 2015.

Ning Haizhong and Luo Ya contributed to this report.