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BRAMA, December 17, 2000, 10:00pm EST


Clockwise from bottom left: Small sign (not fully visible) attached to the tent says "Youth Movement (Molodiy Rukh) against Kuchma the criminal." Written on the round red sign with a caricature of the President - "Kuchma kaput". Slogan on the banner - "Kuchma! If you go away - you will save Ukraine!" On the white sign with the silhouette of missing jouralist Heorhiy Gongadze's head - "Heorhiy, you are with us." The big screen in the background is a Studio 1+1 fixture, and is unrelated to the protest activity.
Protesters wearing scarves to mask their faces. Banner on the left proclaims "The criminal Kuchma - to prison!"
Curious onlookers watch as unidentified "supporters" of President Kuchma pitch their tents. No action was taken by this group and no clear evidence of their support for the President was visible.

Youth groups hold anti-Kuchma rally in Ukraine

KYIV - A coalition of student/youth groups set up camp on Maidan Nezalezhnist (translated: Independence Square), holding a peaceful 2-day anti-Kuchma protest this past weekend. The protesters were joined later by others who claimed to be supporters of President Kuchma, although there was no action taken by them, nor were any signs displayed to indicate who they were or what the purpose for their presence was. Observers speculated that the unmarked tents were pitched by members of Sluzhba Bezpeky Ukrainy (Security Service of Ukraine) and local police.

According to a report on the Internet news website www.ukrop.com, only one "incident" occurred during the weekend when police demanded without success that the demonstrators remove their masks. It was also noted that a construction site suddenly appeared adjacent to the tents, and that a variety of large vehicles such as trucks and buses regularly blocked the view of the protest from the street.

The Studio 1+1 videocam on Sunday night showed bright spotlights directed at the center of the plaza which interfered with Internet transmission visibility.

Last week, President Kuchma signed a decree in support of freedom of the press.

An appeal in Ukrainian by one of the protesters was distributed via the Internet and is published separately here [CLICK]. It was authored by Mykhailo Svystovych who participated in the 1990 pro-Independence hunger strikes as a student. Included in the appeal is a call to join a larger protest that is being planned this week. Supporters are being asked to meet at Maidan Nezalezhnist at 11am on Tuesday, December 19.

Svystovych is an active participant of the website "Find the journalist Heorhiy Gongadze." The slow response by official investigators into the disappearance of journalist Heorhyi Gongadze has sparked a national controversy that turned grave by accusations linking Ukrainian President Leonid Kuchma to the alleged crime.


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