Peace SOS is shocked by the decision of the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) to charge peace activist Yurii Sheliazhenko with ‘’justification of Russian aggression’’ and to search his apartment. The charge is based solely on Sheliazhenko’s Peace Agenda for Ukraine and the World, a document which explicitly condemns the Russian invasion of Ukraine and promotes peace, justice, and the right to conscientious objection to military service.

Yurii Sheliazhenko and his organization the Ukrainian Pacifist Movement have always opposed the violence used in the Ukrainian war and advocate a ceasefire, dialogue and negotiations, as well as a peaceful resolution to address the underlying causes of the war.

Together with May-May Meijer of Peace SOS, Yurii has co-authored several letters and op-eds for Dutch national media calling for peace via peaceful means and an end to the Russian violence in Ukraine and all violence used in Ukraine.

We call on the Ukrainian government and the SBU to respect the rights of conscientious objectors and the right to free speech for peace in Ukraine, rights that cannot be violated even during times of war.

For the sake of free speech for peace in Ukraine, human rights and democracy, please free Yurii from the charge made against him. We call upon the Dutch government to support this plea. We are praying that life will be cherished and that peace will come soon in Ukraine and all over the world. Or in Yurii’s words: may love and truth be the greatest forces uniting east and west.

LINKS:

A petition to demand that the Ukrainian government puts an end to their prosecution of peace activist Yurii Sheliazhenko can be found here:

This blog is based on the statement of IPB, which can be found here:

Yurii´s response to the charges and search can be found here. 

May-May Meijer, founder of Peace SOS has co-authored two letters in NRC Handelsblad and one opinion article in Nederlands Dagblad with Yurii about the need for peace in Ukraine, which can be found here.

Photo: Yurii Sheliazhenko together with a statue of Nobel Peace Laureate Bertha von Suttner