Ukraine's president dismisses head of Constitutional Court

Ukraine’s president has dismissed two judges from the country’s Constitutional Court, saying in a decree issued Saturday that certain jurists "pose a threat to the state independence and national security of Ukraine.”

President Volodymyr Zelenskiy removed Constitutional Court Chairman Oleksandr Tupytskyi and another judge in the decree. Tupytskyi was appointed to the court in 2013 by former President Viktor Yanukovych, who was driven from office the following year by massive protests sparked in part by anger over widespread corruption.

The Constitutional Court last year froze anti-corruption reform in the country, canceling key provisions of anti-corruption legislation that Ukraine approved after persistent demands from the West.

The Constitutional Court declared unconstitutional public access to electronic income declarations of officials, and also outlawed criminal punishment for providing false income information.