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Where there is no law, but every man does what is right in his own eyes, there is the least of real liberty
Henry M. Robert

Former Prisoners of Conscience Fear Threat of Totalitarianism

15 June, 1999 - 00:00

By Klym SHCHERBATY
The Ukrainian Society of Political Prisoners and the Repressed is now ten
years old. To observe the occasion, persons formerly incarcerated by the
Communist and Nazi regimes from many parts of the country gathered in Kyiv
on June 5. Local branches of this society are now functioning in all oblast
centers except Mykolayiv and Chernihiv.

The former political prisoners stated with sorrow that the extremely
hard material circumstances, decline of the national idea, and danger of
the Left returning to power could wipe away everything they have fought
for and achieved. They are very concerned with what they think a possible
alignment of political forces: Petro Symonenko as Speaker, Oleksandr Moroz
Prime Minister, and Oleksandr Tkachenko President. Cochairman of the Poltava
Oblast Society of Political Prisoners and the Repressed Volodymyr Hnitko
told The Day his own vision of the situation: "Yevhen Marchuk is
the only decent candidate for President of Ukraine. As a security forces
general, he is able to bring order to the country. We see how Kuchma cannot
curtail arbitrariness. Former Communist Party and Communist Youth League
functionaries with close ties to oligarchic clans remain in power. We,
former political prisoners, do not blame the KGB for all our woes, for
they were only an instrument in the hands of the Communist Party that directly
persecuted us."

 

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