A successful resolution of a severe
political crisis requires immediate response, negotiation and a compromise
among the political leaders. Unfortunately, Ukraine doesn’t have it - authoritarianism has
taken over. And we are the Ukrainians and
cannot keep quite. This letter is a call to Europe for help, because Ukraine is
in terror and tragedy. It should no longer be a collective television watching
only, as the incidents of the current severe intimidation are repeating the country’s
history of terror in the 1930’s.
By Olena Denysyuk and
Anastasia Erichsen
Photo by Olga
Starostina
You
might be asking who is right and who is wrong in the recent Ukrainian protests
that turned deadly last week. On the one
side of the “front”, there are angry, desperate people with different social
backgrounds and political views from various regions of Ukraine including
Kievans, who came out to fight for their basic human rights. On the other side,
there are thousands of governmental agents – internal military forces, police
officers and the riot police Berkut. Known as the government tool for political
repressions, Berkut forces are trained to suppress the uprising and have demonstrated
the most brutal behavior such as cruel beatings, torturing, shooting directly at
journalists and killing at least two protesters after firing bullets at them. Being
paid very well Berkut is there voluntarily, while the internal military troops are
there due to their military obligation. Hence, they are obliged to execute
orders by law and if they change sides, they will be at risk of being sent to
jail turning into objects of political repressions.
