His Excellency Mr Vladimir Morozov
Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary
Embassy of the Russian Federation
78 Canberra Avenue
Griffith ACT 2603
Your Excellency
The Australian Federation of Ukrainian Organisations (AFUO) writes to you as the representative of the Russian Federation in Australia to protest in the strongest terms the current violation of national rights of Ukrainians in Russia by your Government.
Australia’s Ukrainian community is shocked at the treatment of Ukrainians as a minority in Russia. In recent times this agitation and stripping of national rights has heightened.
Amongst many others, two specific issues have surfaced which have disturbed Ukrainians internationally but will also disturb all who respect and foster human and national rights
The Ministry of Justice of Russia, as well as various levels of the court system including the Supreme Court, has initiated action to eliminate and ban the Federal National Cultural Autonomy of Ukrainians in Russia (FNCAUR) the peak body for Ukrainians in Russia. We protest this totally unacceptable pressure on an NGO.
Secondly this week the Library of Ukrainian Literature in Moscow, has been instructed to remove from its shelves a wide series of Ukrainian language books, newspapers and magazines. We protest this abuse and denial of the norms of freedom of press, literature and speech. A series of publications provided to the Library by the Embassy of Ukraine in Russia have also been banned. As this letter was being completed we have just been informed the Library has now been forcibly closed down by Russian police.
It is absurd for example that a newspaper such as Shliakh Peremohy which has been in existence for over 60 years, read widely throughout the world in over 30 countries is now banned. This publication together with others expresses opinions which in effect highlight the undemocratic processes in Russia. For this reason it is now along with others being banned. The writings of the well known and internationally respected head of the Ukrainian Catholic Church Metropolitan Andrey Sheptytskyi are classified as extreme and being removed from shelves.
We have no illusions about Russia’s undemocratic process or lack of respect for human and national rights, and therefore we will continue our work, through the Ukrainian World Congress (UWC) and seek the support of the Australian Government to highlight these and other violations.
We call on you to officially relay our strongest protest to the President of Russia to stop these violations immediately.
The UWC has now presented a case to representatives of the European Parliament defending the rights of the FNCAUR.
The AFUO has written to the Prime Minister of Australia on previous occasions. We will now strongly urge the Australian Government again through is posts in Moscow and Vienna to investigate the current situation relating to these issues and provide the Australian Government with advice.
In the new year the AFUO will be seeking to provide Federal Members of Parliament with a briefing on the current situation relating to the violation of rights of Ukrainians and other ethnic minorities in Russia.
The Russian Federation would be well advised to embrace the multicultural policies of Australia, where all ethnic monitories are encouraged to maintain their heritage, culture language and identity for the betterment of Australia. The Ukrainian community in Russia should be afforded the same rights.
Freedom of the press and free speech are the basis of a fair and democratic society. The current attacks on the Ukrainian community and others in the Russian Federation by your Government steer totally away from these principles. We believe it is time the international community applied the necessary pressure to ensure that these principles were not eroded but allowed to flourish.
The AFUO is willing to meet with you as soon as possible to express our concerns.
Stefan Romaniw OAM
CHAIRMAN
cc Prime Minister of Australia The Hon Julia Gillard
Minister for Foreign affairs The Hon Kevin Rudd
Ambassador of Australia in Moscow
Ambassador of Australia in Vienna
Ambassador of Ukraine in Australia His Excellency Valentyn Adomaytis
Ukrainian World Congress
Federal National Cultural Autonomy of Ukrainians in Russia
Library of Ukrainian Literature in Moscow