Dear friends,
Like most of you, the Canadian Group for Democracy in Ukraine, founded last year to Counter Ukraine’s regression from democracy, is gravely concerned about the plight of its leading opposition figures. Politicians, like former Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko and former Minister of the Interior, Yurij Lutsenko are incarcerated in contravention of the rule of law and universally acceptable human rights norms as President Victor Yanukovych cripples Ukraine’s parliament and undermines democracy.
Since the arrest of Tymoshenko, the group has organized protests, letters to the prime minister of Canada, and urged others to keep a public focus on the imprisoned freedom fighters.
Important institutions have stepped up. Canada’s government, with others, has repeatedly criticized the situation and lately, sent a team of medical doctors to examine the health of Tymoshenko: apparently her situation is “grave.”
The World Federation of Ukrainian Women’s Organizations is sending a letter to its members to publicly support the opposition democrats. Academic organizations are looking into honorary degree awards. Organizations in the United States are putting the matter on their national executive agendas. In Ukraine, esteemed leading women like Lina Kostenko, Nina Matviyenko, Oleksandra Kuzhel, have appealed to women government leaders of the world to intervene.
This is a fine start but more is needed. As its specific project, the group is seeking national and international women and human rights awards for Tymoshenko, specifically the John Diefenbaker Defender of Human Rights and Freedom Award offered by the Canadian government and the John Humphrey Freedom Award created in honor of the great Canadian who penned the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Last year it was awarded to Ales Michalevic, the opposition leader in Belarus.
Concerted world attention is a powerful tool. It brought about the release for Myanmar’s leading democrat Aung San Suu Kyi. Nelson Mandela’s release was, in no small way, the result of protests, media focus, publications and some 270 awards. Now, is the time to mount a similar effort for Ukraine’s democrats.
We urge you to act. You might seek public commitments from your politicians, keys to your city, honorary university degrees, articles and opinion pieces in broadsheet and social media, lectures — church, sports, genealogy — and other ways that reach out beyond our community to ensure Ukraine’s imprisoned patriots are set free.
A most worthy achievement would be to secure their nominations a ‘person of the year’ for prestigious publications like Time Magazine or for the Nobel Peace Prize. Such distinctions would underscore that sustaining democracy in Ukraine is critical to the region (a democratic Ukraine stimulates Russia toward democracy) and to global peace and security and that Ukraine’s dangerous reality visa-vi its democrats is a vital message to other emerging democracies like the Arab Spring.
Together, we shall overcome. Justice will triumph and Yulia Tymoshenko, Yurij Lutsenko and the other Ukrainian political prisoners will go free. To assist your efforts, please find enclosed brief biographies of both opposition leaders and more information on our group on [email protected].
With warm regards on behalf of the Canadian Group for Democracy in Ukraine
Oksana Bashuk Hepburn
Walter Derzko
Marco Levytsky
Myroslava Oleksiuk
Marta Onufriv
Andriy Zhalko Tytarenko
