Defiant protesters in Ukraine to organise large rally

Ukraine's pro-EU demonstrators are preparing for a big rally in Kiev - in defiance of recently adopted laws aimed at curbing public protests.

Three main opposition leaders are hoping for a big show of support in the capital's Independence Square.

The laws were passed on Thursday with a quick show of hands by MPs loyal to President Victor Yanukovych, ina  move which the opposition described as illegal, accusing  Yanukovych's ruling party of a coup.

President Yanukovych has since signed the bills into law, despite the US and top EU officials having expressed deep concern over the new legislation.

The rally is due to start at 12:00 local time (11:00 CET) on Independence Square - widely known as the Euromaidan.

The opposition leaders are hoping that many thousands will again flood the square - which was the case during eight previous Sunday demonstrations.

There were scuffles between pro-EU protesters and Yanukovych supporters in Kiev on Saturday, and there are fears of further violence on Sunday.

The opposition leaders are also under huge pressure to come up with an action plan, amid criticism from many activists that the opposition has been too passive.

The protesters have been camping out behind extensive barricades on the Euromaidan for nearly two months in the freezing cold.

The mass demonstrations were initially triggered by President Yanukovych's last-minute rejection of an EU deal under heavy pressure from Russia in November.

The protesters' demands later widened to include the fight against what they said was widespread government corruption and abuse of power.

On Thursday, MPs from  Yanukovych's Party of the Regions, together with the communists and a number of independents, rushed through parliament a set of laws amid scenes of chaos in parliament.

The measures were adopted in a matter of minutes when lawmakers simply raised their hands, rather than the usual system of electronic voting.

Opposition deputies had earlier blocked the speaker's platform to try to disrupt the voting.

One of the laws bans any unauthorised installation of tents, stages or amplifiers in public places. It also permits the arrest of protesters who wear masks or helmets, among other restrictions.

Those who violate the law now face a hefty fine or prison.

Another bill provides a punishment of one year of corrective labour for slandering government officials.

Protests involving more than five vehicles in "Automaidan" motorcades were also banned. This followed such demonstrations outside government offices - including  Yanukovych's countryside residence - in recent days.

Party of the Regions MP Oleh Tsariov said the laws were in line with European standards and aimed to prevent further escalation of the political crisis.

But the opposition said the bills were "illegitimate", saying the pro-presidential MPs had decided to use voting by a show of hands after realising they did not have enough support.

Udar party leader Vitali Klitschko condemned the move as a "coup", while Arseniy Yatsenyuk, one of the leaders of the Batkivshchyna (Fatherland) party, warned that Ukraine was now bracing for another "wave of protests".

EU Enlargement Commissioner Stefan Fuele said shortly after the voting that he was "profoundly concerned by new legislation limiting freedoms".

The move contradicted Ukraine's "European aspirations", he said, and its commitments in the EU-Ukraine Association Agreement, which President Yanukovych abruptly refused to sign in November.

In Washington, the US state department voiced its "deep concern" that the controversial measures had been passed.

"We believe deeply that the people of Ukraine want to affiliate and want to be associated with Europe and they want to turn in that direction," Secretary of State John Kerry said.

"And the steps that were taken yesterday (Thursday) are anti-democratic. They're wrong. They are taking from the people of Ukraine their choice and their opportunity for the future.