Maidan has not won yet

Aleksandra Matveychuk, chairman of the Center for Civil Liberties, euromaidan SOS coordinator in an exclusive interview with ” Republic ” recalls fourth in his life and thinks Maidan, where you want to move Ukraine to become a democratic state.

– Alexander, please tell us what the Center of civil liberties?

– Our organization is engaged in the protection of fundamental rights and freedoms. Our focus freedom of expression, freedom of peaceful assembly and association, combating discrimination, the protection of human rights defenders. We work not only in Ukraine. After all, human rights are known, do not have national boundaries. If the authoritarian regimes in the former Soviet Union are working closely together to stifle civil society, we, human rights organizations should also work to create a joint international platform.

– What is the situation with civil liberties in Ukraine today?

– Ukraine is now faced with a new reality – the military occupation of the Crimea and “neoglashennoy” war waged by Russia in the East of Ukraine. In such conditions it is very difficult to move the selected people to the democratic way of development – to reform the police, to conduct the lustration judges, root out corruption, etc.

The very human rights situation varies depending on the region. There Donbass, which are acts of war, where Russia supported illegal military formations are policies of terror among the civilian population, torture and kidnap civilians. There Crimea, where de facto entered the Russian repressive legislation, which prohibits even the prayer prayer on the anniversary of Crimean Tatars deportation. Other regions are preparing to defend against external aggression, but it should be noted that there is the situation with the observance of human rights is normalized.

In fact, we live in a very interesting period of history. Since the end of World War II, there was no precedent for States to “overcame” the other part of the territory and formally annexed it to her. And then the question is not only in the fact that Ukraine should do in such a situation. Here the question that should be in this situation, do other countries do? Downed passenger airliner by terrorists and the death of 298-mi man once again demonstrated that everything is interconnected in this fragile world.

– In your life there were four Maidan, tell us how you, so young, is it? You were talking about the persecution – you and loved ones, in what it consisted of?

– During the Orange Revolution I was a law student. Symbol of the revolution was orange. I remember that I wore the ribbon at a time when few people wore it. And she thought: now I have to behave so that no one even questioned my integrity. Because I’m here, this ribbon, and I will judge the people who support democracy.

I went to the polls observer. Once at the site vote count ended, I was taken to his woman with the election commission. I remember early in the morning we sit in front of TV, where from the screen to announce the victory of Yanukovich. And both crying. And then on television reported that some people are going to protest on Independence. And I went.

Then there was the tax (against strangulation small businesses), Movny (against Russification) now euromaidan. The main thing I realized: no one is safe, that Ukraine in its way to becoming as a democratic state does not need another one. But we need to create a guarantee that no power would not come to mind to shoot unarmed people in the streets.

During euromaidan we were all under the gun. Power led terror cruel and merciless, it could become the victims of everything, even random people. In my case, there were bandits in the house, and the “invitation” to the Prosecutor General. I remember, I was asked if I was ready to sit down. I honestly said that many people consider themselves to something ready until fate will check their availability. That is very interesting. And thought to myself, I had a wonderful life, which gave me an appointment with a very wonderful people, I did what she believed. The only thing that was not in time, because it is to give birth to children. Here the war is over, and these loans.

– Where have you been and what they did during the tragic events of February? What can you tell us about them?

– In euromaidan SOS office. At that moment I could no longer go home. I remember just before the volunteers went to the Maidan, and again there was a telephone our hotline. But when it all began and we started calling that people are shot, we could not do anything. We do legal aid. Then the volunteers went to morgues, hospitals, and places where to bring the dead. We were afraid that the government will destroy the body, and hastily drew up lists. So we were the first to know what killed not ten or twenty.

And my husband called me here. He said: “You do realize that I am on the Maidan?” I told him that, of course, I understand. Although I would like to say: please, run out. But how could I? Most of the were on the Maidan were family. I just asked him if he had a bulletproof vest. He laughed, and said that they are useless. We said good-bye. Remember, I left the office for fifteen minutes to recover, and then went back to work.

Honestly, I’m now very hard to pass the street Institutska, where people were killed. I now know many by name, and I still somehow embarrassing that we have survived, and they have not.

– How did the idea to establish SOS euromaidan and what are the problems encountered? Who are these people who have been searching for?

– On Saturday, November 30 last year, our organization was to conduct a seminar for activists from the regions. It is clear that when all arrived and learned that a few hours before the police brutally beat students on the Maidan was not up to the workshop.

People were crushed, most breaks to go to the St. Michael’s Square, where the rally going. But we decided to think about what we, as human rights activists, could be useful in this situation. After all, at that time there were many people affected, and it is not clear whether they provided legal assistance.

About ten o’clock in the morning we opened the SOS euromaidan page in the “Facebook” and published two posts. The first numbers of our hotlines. The second – with a request to lawyers who are willing to provide free legal assistance to respond. And it worked.

During euromaidan number of calls per day (and we took out the clock) could reach several thousand. Only in our official list of the contacts were more than 400 lawyers, who agreed to during the day and at night to work pro bono. But euromaidan SOS would not take place if we did not support the hundreds of volunteers and an active fb Community euromaidan SOS.

It is important to note that most of these people had never engaged in any civic activity. Just when the critical moment, they did not remain indifferent. Euromaidan gave people the opportunity to express their most good features. Therefore, it is called Revolution Benefits.

– How does the SOS Maidan involved in tracing people? How many could find? How many are unaccounted for?

– During euromaidan just a list of the missing held up to a thousand people. Most of them were very fast. In the search for other took days, weeks, months. After the wounded brought to the hospital and into the underground, equipped through donations, exported to other cities of the country to protect them from persecution. Someone unconscious, someone without a phone. Relatives called us. Well, not to the police as they were then apply.

Someone is missing from the list passed in the death toll. Now we are looking for more than thirty people who disappeared during euromaidan.

– A lot of talk about that with Maidana kidnapped people and deal with them, what can you say about this? It is known to you about such cases?

– I can tell you about the case of the kidnapping of my good friend Igor Lutsenko. Before euromaidan I knew him as one of their “Save Old Kyiv” leaders of the movement, they fought for the preservation of green spaces and monuments in the city. His kidnapped by unknown people (the so-called “titushky” that cooperated with the police) directly from the hospital, along with scientist seismologist Yuri Verbitsky. Yuri on the Maidan was injured in the eye. It is not superfluous to note that the police then loved to shoot sighting over his eyes, we have more than 50 of the victims.

That night I spent on the phone with his brother George. Both stolen tortured, then separately taken into the forest. Igor was able to escape and survive. Yuri no.

– What happened with that organization after the Maidan won?

– Independence is not yet won. We must reform the country, not just shifting it onto the shoulders of politicians, to drive for the state border of the Russian gangs, to return the occupied Crimea. Therefore, SOS euromaidan continues to work and help people. However, the military action lawyers zone will not send him, so our methods have changed. Now we form a human rights mission and mobile, we go and document, working with the hostages and victims of torture.

– Alexander, what do you think, is it right that maydanovtsy not diverge. What they want, in your opinion?

– euromaidan SOS on this occasion made a statement. We wrote that if before to go to the Maidan was the duty of every honest man, but now there are a lot of real work, and it is necessary for someone to do. The momentum of the Maidan, that is, the democratic transformation should reach all of the small village. I’m not talking about the war in the East.

– Do you think that today the country needed not to lose the momentum that gave her the Maidan and to develop further?

– You know, Independence ended, and civic engagement does not drop. Just in time of war it is not very visible to an outside observer. People work in different initiatives: conducting an investigation of crimes on the Maidan, help the wounded, and bringing to ensure military control of the parliament, that he may carry out the necessary reforms the country.

I’m sure the time will come and the world will study our unique experience of self-organization, when ordinary people come together and perform essentially the function of the state. After euromaidan we stayed “Heavenly Hundred”. But heroes are not vyedesh, propping his shoulders public institutions must all. And we understand that.

Sourse, 22/07/2014