The law on decolonization in Ukraine came into force

The law “On amendments to the Law of Ukraine ‘On Protection of Cultural Heritage’ regarding non-inclusion in the State Register of Immovable Monuments of Ukraine and removal from the Register of certain cultural heritage sites” has entered into force. This was reported on the website of the Ministry of Culture and Information Policy.

Thanks to amendments to the law “On Protection of Cultural Heritage,” there will now be legal grounds for removing cultural heritage sites that are symbols of Russian imperial and Soviet totalitarian policy and ideology from the State Register of Immovable Monuments of Ukraine.

“Positioning Ukraine as a residence of democracy, culture, and freedom is impossible without getting rid of the postcolonial ballast from the cultural space,” the explanatory note says.

The law will change the list of monuments that are not subject to inclusion in the Register of Cultural Heritage Sites, as well as supplement the criteria for classifying cultural heritage sites as symbols of Russian imperial or Soviet totalitarian policy.

As a reminder, a number of civil society organizations called on the Verkhovna Rada (parliament of Ukraine) to pass a law banning the propaganda of Russian imperial policy and decolonizing place names.

Earlier, the Verkhovna Rada registered a draft law on the decolonization of Ukraine’s humanitarian sphere.

Photo: ukrainer.net