The Chonicle of Higher Education, March 13/01

[Natalia Pylypiuk]

Hello!  This was published today. Kindly note that, by now, the 
Statement of Scholars and Professionals (mentioned below) has more 
than 240 signatures, including approximately 20 from Ukraine.  A 
rubric has been created for professionals engaged in fields other 
than Ukrainian &
related Slavic studies.

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From: The Chonicle of Higher Education,  March 13/01

  Scholars Call for Reforms and Democracy in Ukraine

  By BRYON MACWILLIAMS <mailto:newseditor at chronicle.com>

  Scholars from around the world who study Ukraine are urging the government
  there to stop threats against students and professors, and to employ
  democratic means to resolve the deepening political crisis in the country.

  Some 160 people -- from 82 different universities, institutions, and
  organizations in Australia, Canada, Europe, Japan, and the United States
  -- have issued a joint statement criticizing the brutal disruptions of
  peaceful demonstrations, the threats and reprisals against students and
  teachers, the selective prosecution of corruption, and the violence
  against and harassment of journalists, politicians, and other prominent
  Ukrainians.
  "We are convinced that only the rule of law, due process, and genuine
  freedom of the press, expression, and assembly without fear of reprisal --
  combined with serious political dialogue -- can help lead Ukraine out of
  this crisis," said the statement issued under the joint auspices of the
  American Association for Ukrainian Studies and the Canadian Association of
  Slavists.
  The group singled out the investigation into the death of Heorhii
  Gongadze, an independent Internet journalist whose headless corpse was
  discovered last fall on the outskirts of Kiev, as a test case of the
  government's impartiality.
  Some 10,000 people gathered on Friday in Kiev to demand the resignation of
  President Leonid Kuchma, who is allegedly heard on tape recordings giving
  orders to "deal with" the journalist prior to his disappearance in
  September. Mr. Kuchma said that the tapes, released by opposition
  politicians, had been doctored.
  The protest was the first in months to degenerate into serious violence
  and arrests.
  Mr. Kuchma is steadfast in his denial of involvement in the killing. He
  said last week that the demonstrators were largely nationalists, or
  neo-Nazis, acting in their own interests under the guise of popular
  revolt. "Let people see with their own eyes the signs of just such a brown
  plague that could easily develop in Ukraine," he told reporters. Ý The
  statement criticizing Mr. Kuchma's government is signed by senior
  scholars, junior faculty members, and members of academic institutions,
  professional associations and many scholarly organizations. Students from
  universities in North America have also pledged their support to the
  so-called Statement of Scholars and Professionals.
  "We know that this crisis can only be solved by the citizens of Ukraine,"
  says the statement, <http://www.ukrainianstudies.org/petition.htm> "but we
  believe that overarching moral issues, the need for solidarity with our
  Ukrainian colleagues and friends, and our own involvement in Ukraine,
  oblige us to speak out."
  Students from the University of Alberta expressed their support in a
  separate message that was being circulated on the Internet: "The
  individuals who have erected tent cities and protest camps are exercising
  their inalienable right to gather in public and to express their opinion.
We highly respect and admire those students who have the courage to
  engage in such forms of protest."

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