From: MSN NicknameEagle_wng (Original Message) Sent: 5/11/2005 3:19 AM 10.05.2005 An open letter
Dozens of personalities in Britain have criticized the choice of Moscow as the venue for celebrations marking the 60th anniversary of the Allied victory. The 71 signatories of a letter published in the Financial Times newspaper include Soviet-era dissident Elena Bonner, Lithuania’s first post-Soviet president Vytautas Landsbergis, politicians, former diplomats and international affairs analysts.
The letter was drafted by the US-based Project on Transitional Democracies, which is seeking to step up reforms in Russia and speed up its integration with the West. Apart from Ms Bonner, who is the wife of Nobel peace prize-winning Andrei Sakharov, and Mr Landsbergis, the letter was signed by the former prime ministers of Estonia and Bulgaria, Mart Laar and Philip Dimitrov. Former Czech president Vaclav Havel is also named, but he told the Czech news agency CTK that he had not signed the letter and had not been contacted about it, although he expressed understanding for its content.
«While the anniversary itself is without question a worthy occasion for celebrating one of the greatest victories of mankind over tyranny, we believe the venue and hosting of this event are altogether unsuited to the fundamental principles for which that historic victory in the Second World War was achieved.
Six decades after the defeat of fascist despotism in Europe, Russia’s own civil liberties, political freedoms, rule of law and democratic institutions are extremely weak and fragile, to the extent that they exist at all.
Indeed it is highly ironic that one of Europe’s least democratic and most repressive regimes today will be hosting an assembly of global leaders of free countries to celebrate the continent’s liberation.
At the very moment when Moscow’s own commitment to the principles of democracy and justice are in serious decline … it seems to us a mockery of the occasion to gather there in honor of the 20th century’s climactic sacrifice for Europe’s freedom.
Russia’s retreat from freedom and democracy in the post-Soviet era has never seemed so rapid or broadscale. We urge senior representatives of the United States and Europe who are going to Moscow to attend today’s event to raise with Russia’s leadership our serious concerns about the erosion of the principles of democracy and justice in Russia today."
The Chechen Times http://www.chechentimes.org/en/comments/?id=28784
Acknowledgement: All available information and documents in "Justice For North Caucasus Group" is provided for the "fair use". There should be no intention for ill-usage of any sort of any published item for commercial purposes and in any way or form. JFNC is a nonprofit group and has no intentions for the distribution of information for commercial or advantageous gain. At the same time consideration is ascertained that all different visions, beliefs, presentations and opinions will be presented to visitors and readers of all message boards of this site. Providing, furnishing, posting and publishing the information of all sources is considered a right to freedom of opinion, speech, expression, and information while at the same time does not necessarily reflect, represent, constitute, or comprise the stand or the opinion of this group. If you have any concerns contact us directly at:
eagle@JusticeForNorthCaucasus.com
