On Friday March 10, Russian media reported that three Ukrainian prisoners of war,
including Maksym Butkevych, had been "convicted" of war crimes by the "supremecourts" of the "People's Republics Members of the Russian Federation" of Donetskand of Luhansk and sentenced to 13 years for Maksym, 18 and a half years forVladislav Chel and 8 and a half years for Viktor Prokhozei. These "condemnations"announce others. ---- Maksym Butkevych is a very famous prisoner, known inUkraine but also internationally for years, as a defender of migrants - he hadcollaborated with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) -, asa defender of human rights, as anti-fascist. He coordinated the European campaignin defense of Crimean prisoners Oleg Sentsov and Alexandr Koltchenko, released in2019 from Russian prisons. He is a long-time student and later civil societyactivist in Ukraine, advocating libertarian ideas for a world free fromdomination and oppression. He is also a recognized journalist: he foundedHromadske Radio, collaborated with BBC World Service and several Ukrainianchannels. A convinced anti-militarist, he had nevertheless decided to join theUkrainian army for the defense of the people and civilians in March 2022 and hadtaken part in the release of Boutcha.Prisoner since June 2022, Russian propaganda presents him as a "Nazi" and a"fascist", slander aimed at preparing the "Moscow trial" in Luhansk which washeld on March 10, 2023. He was convicted, accused of firing a rocket launchertargeting civilians in Severodonetsk on June 4, 2022. According to 12 Ukrainianand Belarusian human rights organizations, Hromadske Radio and the Zmina humanrights center, his unit was never deployed to Severodonetsk.This infamous accusation aims to portray a recognized human rights defender inUkraine as in Russia as a "Nazi". As Amnesty International points out, the realviolation of the "law of war" is the absence of any fair trial for prisoners ofwar. And the sentence of 13 years in the cellars of the Luhansk regime, ifapplied to Maksym and his fellow prisoners, is akin to a death sentence in disguise.The French Committee of the European Network of Solidarity with Ukraine (RESU)had already launched a campaign, last autumn, during which many democratic,political, associative and trade union organisations, elected officials andpersonalities had took a stand to demand the release of Maksym Buktevich. It isnecessary that all these structures and personalities make their voices heardagain: it is urgent !The pressure of democratic public opinion is essential to save Maksym and theother prisoners sentenced by puppet courts or who are in the hands of the Russianarmy. They can be saved. Their release must become the symbol of the cause oftruth against the "triumphant lie that passes" (Jaurès), for truth and justice !Freedom for Maksym Butkevych and for the other prisoners of the Russian army !https://www.unioncommunistelibertaire.org/?Ukraine-Communique-du-Comite-francais-du-Reseau-europeen-de-solidarite-avec-l_________________________________________A - I N F O S N E W S S E R V I C EBy, For, and About AnarchistsSend news reports to A-infos-en mailing listA-infos-en@ainfos.ca
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