Open letter to the world community by Ukrainian opposition MP
I, the undersigned, the elected people's deputy Elena Bondarenko, from the Party of Regions - the opposition party in Ukrainian parliament, hereby wish do declare that the current government is stooping so low as to air unveiled threats of physical violence and annihilation towards opposition politicians in Ukraine, deny the freedom of expression to the opposition in the parliament and outside of it, even to being complicit in crimes against not only the opposition politicians themselves but their kin as well.
Constant threats, undeclared ban on presence of opposing voices in majority of Ukrainian media outlets, witchhunt against dissenting views - all of those are attributes of everyday life of an opposition deputy in today's Ukraine.
Anybody who calls for peace in Ukraine is immediately blacklisted by the government as an enemy of the people, similar to Germany of 1930s or epoch of mccartyhism in US.
Few days ago Minister of Internal Affairs Of Ukraine, Arsen Avakov, one of the leaders of so-called "war party " in Ukraine, made a following statement: "When Elena Bondarenko mounts the tribune of Parliament, my hand involuntarily tries to reach for a handgun".
I can't stress enough - this was written by a person who is delegated with powers of top cop in the land. Exactly one week ago, the speaker of Ukrainian Parliament, Alexander Tourchinov denied to me, the lawfully elected representative of opposition, the right to address other deputies from the parliamentary podium. The reason - my statement that "the government sending troops to bomb peaceful towns is in fact criminal ".
After silencing me, he magnanimously allowed the radicals in parliament to vocalize their calls to make the opposition face a firing squad.
Remembering that late last year, when the extremists were already at work in Kiev, my car was shot at, as reflected in the statement made to law enforcement agency,
I take such threats directed at me very seriously.
I want to take this opportunity to inform everyone who doesn't know yet that current administration protects the criminals who attacked the son of another opposition leader, Vladimir Oleinik. Ruslan Oleinik , while working as the district prosecutor, was violently attacked right at his workplace, his health and very life in grave danger. Instead of investigation into violence against the on-duty representative of law enforcement, clearly with intent of intimidating the opposition politician, the case was shoved aside, the prosecutor fired.
Every day I hear from my colleagues the grievances regarding physical violence against their staff, frivolous searches of the businesses belonging to their supporters, threats, attempts on their lives, their health and their livelihood.
Ukrainian media is almost entirely devoid of the information of this kind, ordinary Ukrainians can't even surmise what kind of an unlawful war is taking place against the opposition,
the freedom of speech given by Constitution being blatantly thwarted.
Those among media who, overcoming their fear, dare to be honest in doing their work, are living constantly under a threat of attacks by nationalist gangs , whose ringleaders and participants, even when easily identified by video and photo surveillance, are able to escape justice.
I am calling upon all international structures declaring themselves as upholding the democratic principles to intervene, not just to pay attention, but to actively join in the fight for democratic rights and freedoms of Ukrainian people.
The methods employed by current leadership of Ukraine in their power struggle, or to be more precise - in their drive to establish the dictatorship, those methods have nothing to do with the meaning of "democracy".
If the international community members don't act and prefer to ignore the outrageous facts, they will have to share the guilt by what amounts to a tacit approval of the crimes committed in Ukraine today.
Ukraine is about to be lost for the free world. Everybody who is willing to stand up for democracy, freedoms and rights of the people, to stand up not by empty talk but by actions, together we can achieve a lot. It is only together that we can halt the fratricide war in Ukraine and the junta that started it.
Sincerely,
People's deputy Elena Bondarenko

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