Vitrenko Open Letter to Ukraine Official on Threat to Her Life

Dr. Natalia Vitrenko, leader of the Progressive Socialist Party of Ukraine (PSPU), and former Member of Parliament (1994-2002) and Presidential candidate (1999, 2004), yesterday issued the following Open Letter to Prosecutor General of Ukraine Victor Shokin:

“Dear Victor Nikolayevich,

“I am compelled to request that you defend my rights and freedoms, including the right to life and the inviolability of my person, from encroachment, organized by the Ukraine Security Service (SBU).

“As you well know, on 14 May 2014 the SBU entered in the Unified State Registry notifications of criminal violations of Part 2, Article 15 and Part 2, Article 110 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine, against the All-Ukraine Public Women’s Organization Dar Zhizni (Gift of Life), which I head. Since May 2014, the Main Investigative Directorate of the SBU has been conducting a pre-trial investigation under criminal case #22014000000000152.

“The SBU, in violation of the presumption of my innocence, guaranteed by Article 62 of the Constitution of Ukraine, Article 6 of the European Convention on Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms, Article 14 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, Article 2 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine, and Article 17 of the Criminal Procedure Code of Ukraine, one year ago circulated a false report, that I was supposedly financing terrorists and separatists through the Dar Zhizni organization.

“The absurdity of this false report is that neither I nor the women’s public organization Dar Zhizni ever had or could have had such plans. Furthermore, the accounts of the Dar Zhizni organization were frozen already on April 29, 2014, since which time it has been impossible to withdraw a single kopeck from them and use it not only for human rights-defense activities, but even for conducting operations mandated under the charter of the organization.

“I was summoned to the SBU twice for interrogation, during which I answered all questions from the investigator in detail and provided to him the agreement, under which the human rights-defense operations of our organization were to be conducted. My explanations and the content of this document absolutely refuted the false report, fabricated by the SBU and distributed through the mass media.

“In the appeals court hearing on the whether or not the freezing of the account was legitimate, neither the investigator nor the prosecutor presented any evidence for the accusations made publicly against our organization. Everything was constructed upon a device that is outlawed in Ukrainian, European, and international law — accusations based on conjecture, guesses, and fabrications.

“Therefore, it has been my opinion, and I state so publicly to you, that the SBU launched a political slander campaign against me and is attempting to shape an image of me as a criminal and enemy of the people, in the public’s opinion. I have been deprived of my rights even to make public refutation.

“Our organization’s account remains frozen, but one week ago came a new media wave to discredit me on the basis of the old false reports. Articles appeared in the media, in particular on the web sites www.glavcom.ua , www.ukr.net, and www.24tv.ua, saying that the head of the Russian Foreign Ministry, S. Lavrov, had supposedly allocated 8 million rubles to me for financing separatists and terrorists. Reference was made in these articles to SBU information.

“I have never met Lavrov, put together no plans with him, and have received no money from him. Not for any purpose. And certainly not for infringement of the territorial integrity of Ukraine or for financing terrorists and separatists. Nowhere in the media am I being allowed to state these truths publicly and thus refute the SBU’s false report.

“From this, I draw the conclusion that the SBU, headed by V. Nalyvaychenko, is continuing to build my image as a criminal and enemy of the people, for the purpose of provoking actions against my life — for organizing my physical elimination.

“I believe that the SBU’s actions are blocking my political and public activity, undermining my authority and business reputation, conducting political defamation, and violating my rights and freedoms, guaranteed by the Constitution of Ukraine and the norms and principles of international law.

“I ask you, using your authority under Article 3 of the Constitution of Ukraine, to look into the problems I have identified, and to defend my rights and freedoms, including the right to life and the inviolability of my person.”