International Committee of Ethics and Human Rights Watching RAY

                      The Better World – Home For All

                                                                             Luchmir_Print

 With the blessing of Metropolitan of Suzdal and Vladimir Valentin/

 

         The Appeal   

          To the High Commissioner for Human Rights

In a real danger for the world of Russian totalitarianism.

       February, 14 – 2009

 

 

Dear Ms. Pillay,

 

We, thousands of believers of cities Suzdal and Vladimir, Russia, and many Russians living outside Russia who are parishioners of the Russian Orthodox Autonomous Church appeal to you with a request to help us in the cases of violation of human rights in Russia, namely:

 

§  in insults of dignity and disrespect of the Russian believers and their systematic unlawful persecution by the Russian authorities; ignoring by these authorities of the lawful rights and claims of the believers;

§  in discrimination by the Russian authorities against our Church and our community, violation of our rights as Russian citizens, and violations of rules common for civil societies;

§  in damages for health and lives of the believers and unlawful expropriation of their property by the Russian authorities.

 

Our Church is alternative to the official Russian Orthodox Church of Moscow Patriarchy actively supported by the Russian Government and President, which we believe is historically unlawful. Since 1990 after we completely separated from the Moscow Patriarchy our community was developing successfully and we had many parishioners and supporters in Russia and abroad.

 

We were able by ourselves to reconstruct tens of churches and historical buildings destroyed by the Soviet authorities and left unattended. We paid a lot of attention and spent substantial efforts for people, our town, its historical neighborhood, and to visitors from the entire world. We organized exhibitions, meetings, scientific discussions, competitions and concerts, published colorful albums and books on the history, unique architecture and cultural traditions of our old historically rich Land, the spiritual heart of the whole Russian Land.

 

The Head of our Church, Valentin, Mitropolitan of Suzdal and Vladimir, has a great respect and love of the parishioners and people in Russia and abroad. He is a Honorary Citizen of Suzdal and the member of the city Parliament. Indeed Mitropolitan Valentin is known in Russia and abroad as a  person of high culture, expert in history, education, and culture, who dedicated all his life to serve God, Russia, and community and anyone personally who needs his help, advise, and blessing.

 

However since 2005 many troubles for our Church are started due to intervention and persecution from the side of the State of Russia in the form of various investigations, commissions, and decisions about us, which, in fact should not concern us, since according to Russian Constitution the Church is separated from the State. According to the Law the Russia has Freedom of Belief and the Church has the right to live with its own spiritual life.

 

The Head of our Church was assaulted many times, including threatening for his life. In 2006 only by a miracle he survived after a planned attack of criminals was hospitalized for a long time, and until now he has health problems and is not recovered yet.

 

On February 5, 2009 the Court of Suzdal ordered to expropriate 13 our churches and give them to the State. Nobody asked our opinion about this act. The authorities just suggested to give them everything what we built up for the years or reconstructed by ourselves from ruins. Due to this decision the believers should “live with the spiritual life”… on the streets.

 

Such acts of the authorities and the State, which pretend to be called “contemporary, democratic, civil society”, look really as absurd. This is not simply “violation of citizen rights”, but a direct aggression from the side of the State, meaningless violence, and since this relates to God, consciousness, and religion, we can only call this are “state vandalism”. There is no any logic in such vandalism except of the logic of destruction and hatred. This is also against the main Law of the State, Constitution, which claims that the State should be oriented towards the society.

 

In 2006 Vaclav Havel, a former Czech president, already appealed via «Mlada Fronta Dnes» newspaper to the world community with a request to figure out what is going on in Russia and why its president, Vladimir Putin does not stop the Chechen war? (He was supported by many progressive figures, such as French philosopher Andre Glucksmann, Prince of Jordan Hassan bin Talal, former state president of South Africa Frederik de Klerk, ex-president of Ireland, ex- the High Commissioner for Human Right Mary Robinson, the Chief of the Nippon Foundation Iohei Sasakawa, Czech senator Karol Swetsenberg, American finances Jorge Soros, Nobel Prizes 2006 winner archbishop Desmond Tutu).

 

It was said in this appeal that the Chechen war is just a cover to Putin to complete elimination of freedom in Russia and return to autocracy. Instead of confession before his own and Chechen people, president (now a prime-minister) Putin starts new wars with his own people. And now he started a war with the Church and with any freedom of mind.

 

Totalitarianism is an extreme danger which threatening the entire world today. This threat comes from Russia. We appeal to all nations and people of our planet to unite efforts and take all actions to prevent this evil from happening again.

 

We are deeply resented and insulted by all these events and request you to step in and take all necessary measures to stop these criminal actions with respect to the Church and to all people of Russia.

 

Sincerely yours, with a hope to your help and support,

 

in the name of the believers of cities Suzdal and Vladimir and all Russian believers outside Russia,

 

Larisa Gumerov,

 

Writer, President of International Ethical Committee «Luch»,

Editor-in-Chief of www.luchmir.com.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

                         LUCH 2009