epa04031067 Protesters clash with riot police (R) during their protest in downtown Kiev, Ukraine, 19 January 2014. Violence broke out 19 January at anti-government protests as hundreds of opposition supporters armed with clubs tried to break through a police blockade and storm the Ukrainian parliament. The demonstrations took on a sharper tone after last week’s passage of new laws that protesters and human rights groups said are designed to stifle dissent. They criminalize libel, establish new penalties for unlawful protests and make it easier to strip legislators of their immunity. EPA/SERGEY DOLZHENKO