Our friends are intellectuals, not terrorists

[dropcap]W[/dropcap]e, the undersigned of the Leon Schiller Polish National Film School of Theatre and Television in Lodz, as representatives of the arts and academia in Poland, would like to express our solidarity with our friends from The Kiev National University of Theatre, Cinema and TV of I. Karpenko-Kary.

In this letter we would like to manifest our concern about the fate of six students of the Kiev university: Oleksander Szkrabak, Andrij Kotlar, Jurij Chrobust, Danył Okułow, Wadym Kowalow and Andrij Iwaniuk.

The information we obtained indicates that the students were detained by the militia on the night of 19 and 20 January in Kiev. Unclear circumstances of their detention and lack of information concerning their whereabouts arouse our anxiety and we find the preventive measures used – the detention center – excessively radical to students on the threshold of their artistic career.

We would like to remind the authorities of the responsibility resting with them under the international law, including the Convention against Torture and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights.

We observe their actions, will remember them in the future and demand accountability for every single case of human rights violations to our academic friends. No one has the right to impose their ideology and beliefs on others.

We maintain complete solidarity with our Kiev friends and condemn all acts of violence. We call for respect for their dignity, at the same time demanding a fair trial and making evidence against all detainees public. Our friends are intellectuals, not terrorists.

To: Mr. Markijan Malskyj, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Ukraine to Poland

Students Government of The Polish National Film, Television and Theatre School in Lodz:
Tomasz Hagström (Chairman)
Dariusz Dużyński
Marta Zwierzchowska
Marta Gmosińska

Courtesy copy:
1) JM Aleksiej I. Bezgin, headmaster of The Kiev National
2) Viktor Pshonka, Prosecutor General of Ukraine
3) Dmitry Tabachnik, Minister of Education and Science of Ukraine
4) Leonid Kozhara, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine
5) Olena Lukash, Minister of Justice of Ukraine
6) Ministry of Justice of Kiev University of Theatre, Cinema and TV of  I. Karpenko-Kary
7) Prosecutor of the Obolonsk district, Kiev
8) Prosecutor of the Dresnian district, Kiev
9) District Militia Management of the Dnieproski area, Kiev

Lodz, 30.01.2014 r.

Petition on line.

Photo by Tomas Rafa