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Ukrainian Parliament Votes To Repeal Anti-Protest Laws

By Kim Glovas

PHILADELPHIA (CBS/AP) - Ukraine's parliament has repealed anti-protest laws that set off months of violent clashes.

Doctor Al Mueller, Dean of Arts and Sciences at Neumann College, says he believes President Viktor Yanukovych is making a move to appease pro-democracy protesters.

Peaceful protests have been underway since November, but things turned violent when the anti-protest law was passed.

Mueller says it's unbelievable that Yanukovych should even think anti protest laws would work.

"The decision of the Yanukovych government to eliminate protests, was not -- we don't have a word in the English language to describe how dumb this was on the part of the government. It wasn't just falling out of the stupid tree, it was falling out of the stupid tree and hitting every branch on the way down."

Muller says there is a very simple reason for that: "Ukrainians get things done through massive protest and they've been doing that since 2004."

(TM and © Copyright 2014 CBS Radio Inc. and its relevant subsidiaries. CBS RADIO and EYE Logo TM and Copyright 2014 CBS Broadcasting Inc. Used under license. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)

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