Secretary General of the Council of Europe Thorbjorn Jagland has expressed his concern about the adoption of laws affecting the fundamental rights of citizens in Ukraine.

"The way in which such wide-ranging legislation affecting fundamental rights and the judiciary were rushed through parliament without a proper debate is unacceptable. Any laws adopted by Ukraine must correspond to the letter and to the spirit of its commitments taken towards the Council of Europe," the statement reads.

In this connection, Jagland called upon the Ukrainian authorities to reassess the legislation jointly with the Council of Europe to ensure Ukraine meets its commitments.

The secretary general also said that declaring NGOs which receive funding from abroad as "foreign agents" is alarming.