Maidan - State and society

The Crimea’s interests not represented

Mon, 15 Sep 2008 09:57:20 -0400

About a highly questionable appeal from a marginal Crimean Tatar group seeking Russian “defence” of their rights and the Russian media attention it has been given

In defence of redheads

Fri, 18 Jul 2008 08:52:23 -0400

We should watch out for criminals, not for people of a certain race. The law enforcement agencies undoubtedly have a tough and complicated task, however primitive methods only generate new problems and contribute to a rise in racism and xenophobia, (In response to remarks from the Minister of Internal Affairs and his colleagues on immigration)

Moral responsibility

Mon, 16 Jun 2008 05:09:31 -0400

Yes, the system is flawed and needs changing. However, Maidan convinced the world of Ukraine’s unequivocal choice - democracy. What nobody is convinced about is that Ukraine’s politicians have learned their lessons. Perhaps it’s time we teach them? Appealing to conscience is undoubtedly correct however this should not preclude looking for other forms of leverage (Reflections on the article "Moral Holodomor")

Money & the French Decision to oppose Ukrainian Membership in NATO.

Sat, 05 Apr 2008 19:21:07 -0400

France obviously still has little affection for Ukrainians. Perhaps too many there cannot forget that thanks to the Central Rada and its German alliance, and then to Petliura, who overthrew Hetman Skoropadsky after he had agreed repayment of Ukraine's portion of the tsarist debt to France, French capitalists and industrialists & part of the middle-class, lost all their money in 1919.

Putrid lies and other unpleasant odours

Thu, 31 Jan 2008 06:56:28 -0500

If the food item you bought in a supermarket proves rotten and smelly, you don’t just, so to speak, swallow it. Why accept information which is no less toxic and of dubious quality especially when it makes serious allegations about anti-Semitism in Ukraine?

The FIFTH Annual Ukrainian BaWL: Best& Worst List for 2007

Thu, 24 Jan 2008 13:58:51 -0500

Almost everyone has a favorite list this time of year-- best movies, books, person of the year.

A Headache of some benefit

Fri, 18 Jan 2008 18:25:04 -0500

The Russian authorities by hurtling across the border in pursuit of one politically out of sync young man, Mikhail Gangan, have presented Ukraine with an invaluable test and an opportunity to demonstrate its maturity to the world

No Tower of Babel

Sun, 13 Jan 2008 21:42:27 -0500

One senses that for some people the Charter and situation in Ukraine are confined to a virtual realm in which contact with reality is of absolutely no importance. A journey by public transport in Kyiv for example, will assuage all concerns about the threatened position of the Russian language

Incendiary devices

Tue, 22 Jan 2008 05:56:44 -0500

Neither media outlets nor the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs are entitled to make very serious allegations of criminally liable offences without some basic checks. These must involve ascertaining at very least whether the person in question was anywhere near the place where the criminal offence was alleged to have occurred

So who is silence golden for?

Thu, 20 Dec 2007 15:56:58 -0500

Silence plays into the hands of those who have absolute contempt for human rights and human dignity. We are endeavouring not to be silent, but those fighting us have power and opportunities for pursuing their ends. Our voices will continue to sound the alarm when human rights are being violated, but if we cannot hope for a receptive ear and help in passing on information, we will be almost powerless.
If that indeed is what those who ordered this attack are hoping to achieve, please help us to ensure that they fail. It will be our shared victory

Worth their weight in questions

Thu, 20 Dec 2007 15:41:07 -0500

How could Abdugani Kamaliyev (Tursinov) be illegally handed over to the Uzbek security service when the European Court of Human Rights had ordered a halt on any expulsion 15 hours earlier?
Even if some believe (I would beg to differ) that one or two individuals make no odds, I would respectfully suggest that the question of where it will all end if the Russian FSB is shown so very clearly that they can act with impunity is ignored at our peril.

What’s an administrative expulsion or two among friends?

Fri, 30 Nov 2007 19:07:03 -0500

The Russian authorities are increasingly demonstrating an inexplicable willingness to cooperate with repressive regimes. No holds barred, it would seem, for their new friends. This, unfortunately, has included no legislative bars. Abdugani Kamaliyev (Tursinov), an Uzbek married to a Russian national is in danger of being unlawfully expelled to Uzbekistan despite a request to extradite him having been turned down

Remembering together

Mon, 26 Nov 2007 19:26:45 -0500

If Holodomor does not constitute genocide as per the UN Convention, I would respectfully suggest that the latter is failing its role as a human rights document intended to identify human rights crimes and ensure they never happen again.

Raising awareness about Holodomor - Appeal to the Russian Federation Ministry of Foreign Affairs

Tue, 12 Feb 2008 16:38:44 -0500

We are asking people in Ukraine, Russia and all countries of the world to help us raise awareness about Holodomor 1932-1933 in Ukraine. There is no question of presenting grievances against today’s Russia, nor of settling scores. It is a question of justice, of willingness to try to understand the past and to do all in our power to ensure that such a crime never happens again. Please help us by adding your voice to ours.

Before and after

Fri, 16 Nov 2007 14:57:07 -0500

The closed borders, the deliberate removal of all food and the millions of victims are not disputable, they are to be recognized. A wrong is done the world and each human being when we turn our gaze away. The reasons, political, geopolitical, economic or other may vary, the betrayal does not.