Havel among world politicians, intellectuals criticising Ukraine

Moscow/Prague, Aug 31 (CTK) - Former Czech president Vaclav Havel is among the group of leading world politicians and intellectuals who sharply criticise the present political course of Ukraine in a statement released Wednesday.

They write that Ukraine stands at a crossroads. They call for the EU's far more active policy towards Ukraine and urge the EU and its members to "insist demanding that the rule of law is respected" by Kiev.

An article of a similar, to a large extent identical wording and signed only by Havel, appeared in The Moscow Times daily Wednesday.

The joint statement's signatories also include Czech Foreign Minister Karel Schwarzenberg, the Tibetan Dalai Lama, former German president Richard von Weizsaecker, Jordan Prince Hassan bin Talal and French philosopher Andre Glucksmann.

They write that Ukraine has experienced a significant and alarming deterioration in its democratic framework since the election of President Viktor Yanukovych in 2010.

"Fundamental tenets of a democratic society, such as freedom of expression, freedom of assembly, and freedom of the press are increasingly coming under pressure," they write.

"Given Ukraine’s strategic importance, the country’s fate has become an urgent matter of concern for not only Europe but the entire international community," the signatories write.

They say the most worrying factors underlying Ukraine’s anti-democratic turn are Yanukovych's rising control of the executive, legislative as well as judicial powers, and the increased activity of security services, harassment of opposition parties and independent media and a weak civil society.

In this connection, the signatories point to the ongoing prosecution of opposition politicians in Ukraine, including former prime minister Yulia Tymoshenko, to threats faced by NGOs, journalists and individuals and the declining media pluralism under Yanukovych as president.

"Ukraine has reached a crossroads. One signpost points towards democracy; the other towards autocracy. The former path leads to membership in the European Union; the latter would take Ukraine to a darker and more dangerous destination," the statement says.

It says it is in the EU's vital interest to strive for a far more active policy towards Ukraine than so far.

"We urge EU and the member states to insist demanding that the rule of law is respected. At the very least, the EU should demand that Tymoshenko and the other opposition leaders are set free on bail so that they can more vigorously defend themselves in court," the politicians and intellectuals write in the statement given to CTK by the Forum 2000 Foundation.

In his article in The Moscow Times, Havel uses similar arguments, plus mentions "the oligarchic rule" as another worrying factor in Ukraine.

"Worse still, the 2010 extension of Russia’s lease on its naval base at Sevastopol in exchange for cheaper gas is indicative of a growing Moscow-Kiev rapprochement with obvious implications for many EU countries’ energy security," Havel writes.