Today is the funeral of Serhiy Nigoyan, who was killed by sniper’s bullets in the Maidan. A photo of this 20 year old young man shows him standing on the barricades, holding a banner that says: «God speaks through the voice of the People».

Today also marks the funeral of Yuriy Verbytskiy. He was abducted from the hospital in heavily wounded condition, taken to the forest, tortured to death and abandoned in the snow. There are numerous cases of such abduction of activists of non-violent resistance.

Who was behind the sniper?

Who abducted the wounded man, who is not even politically engaged?

Forty years ago, we, prisoners of conscience, appealed to Amnesty International and also sought justice in other institutions.

Today, we all came out to the Maidan, some of us with our children and grandchildren. Our slogan again is: «Freedom, Justice, Rule of Law». Our appeal is addressed to the West, which embodies these principles and is supposed to defend them everywhere.

Earlier, our adversary in the Kremlin waved its bombs and called for peace. We were arrested for exercising freedom of speech and were tried as criminals most dangerous for the state.

The empire of lies fell down, but its servants have healed themselves up. Post-communists — are but degraded communists in collaboration with criminals.

They have the same methods of coercion and violence. This criminal passes its verdicts in darkness of nights in forests, its sentences are implemented through — snipers, and the abducted to be «pardoned» — via the President.

It is this garb of national state and democracy, beneath which this criminal hides — which is one of the most insidious masks of the underworld. And this disease is dangerous for the whole world. It is demonstrating its metastases. Of utmost importance is — to make correct diagnosis and start immediate treatment. Today’s world has no boundaries to put restrictions. Each of us faces increasing liability for the future of the world.

Please be aware that the Ukrainian Maidan — is at the forefront of struggle for the freedom and salvation of people from weak-spirited compromise with forces of evil.

Signatures (period of incarceration indicated in parentheses):

Zinoviy Antonyuk (1972—1981, 1982—1983)

Olha Heyko (1980—1986)

Semen Gluzman (1972—1985)

Josyp Zisels (1978—1981, 1984—1987)

Ihor Kalynets (1972—1981)

Levko Lukyanenko (1961—1976, 1977—1988)

Myroslav Marynovych (1977—1987)

Volodymyr Marmus (1973—1984)

Kuzma Matviyuk (1972—1976)

Vasyl Ovsiyenko (1973—1977, 1979—1988)

Zorian Popadyuk (1973—1987)

Rayisa Rudenko (1981—1987)

Yevhen Sverstyuk (1972—1983)

Myroslav Symchych (1948—1963, 1968—1985)

Oles Shevchenko (1980—1987)

Yuriy Shukhevych (1948—1968, 1972—1988)

January 23, 2014