To the President of Ukraine Viktor Yushchenko To the Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine Volodymyr Lytvyn To the Prosecutor General of Ukraine Oleksandr Medvedko To the Minister of Internal Affairs of Ukraine Yuriy Lutsenko To the Minister of Environmental Protection Heorhiy Filipchuk
Life – for Zhukiv Island Open appeal of the Organizing Committee of the Civic Assembly of Ukraine
We, the members of the Organizing Committee of the Civic Assembly of Ukraine, received with pain and alarm the news of the brutal murder of environmental activist Oleksiy Goncharov and the savage beating of his wife, which occurred in broad daylight in the yard of his own home.
In recent years, Oleksiy Goncharov repeatedly appealed to law enforcement agencies demanding an end to the criminal business of hydraulic mining and sand extraction on the territory of the "Zhukiv Island" natural landscape reserve. We are convinced that it was precisely the desire for revenge, fueled by the awareness of complete impunity, that prompted the organizers of this criminal business to cross the line of human life. It is not the first time that environmental defenders in Ukraine have faced violence from shadowy dealers who receive super-profits from the predatory exploitation of natural resources. But for the first time, the price for an active civic stance has been a life. A life for Zhukiv Island. A life for sand!
We believe that the murder of a person because of his active civic stance is not accidental. This murder is a natural result of many years of the authorities at all levels ignoring the role and significance of civil society for the country, the unwillingness and prevention of public dialogue on issues important to the country and its people, and the humiliation of the role of the citizen in governing his own state.
We believe that the lack of transparency of information on the issuance of permits for the extraction of natural resources creates a comfortable environment for criminals. And the many years of inaction of law enforcement agencies in the field of preserving natural resources makes possible any actions of criminals against those who disturb their bandit comfort, even physical reprisals, even murder! We are convinced that the investigation of the murder of Oleksiy Goncharov and the beating of his wife is of decisive importance for Ukrainian society. The results of the investigation and the response to the systemic causes that led to this crime must clearly demonstrate whether each of us still has a chance to be a citizen of his own country, to live and act for the benefit of society without a threat to his own life and the lives of his loved ones.
We appeal to the President of Ukraine, the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine, the Prosecutor General's Office, the Ministry of Internal Affairs and the Ministry of Environmental Protection with the following demands: 1. Find and punish those who ordered the murder and the murderers of Oleksiy Goncharov. 2. Establish the causes of the murder of Oleksiy Goncharov and take appropriate measures to prevent similar tragedies in the future, in particular: a. disclose information about all companies that received licenses for the extraction of sand, gravel, stone, etc., as well as the geography of these permits; b. conduct an investigation of all facts of illegal sand extraction and hydraulic mining on the territory of the "Zhukiv Island" reserve and other environmental protection areas of Ukraine and inform the public about the progress and results of this investigation. 3. Urgently develop and adopt special measures to strengthen operational control over nature use in environmental protection areas, including the creation of militarized mobile units with expanded powers.
The Organizing Committee of the Civic Assembly of Ukraine undertakes to monitor the actions of the relevant law enforcement structures and systematically publicize their results for the widest possible public in Ukraine.
Organizing Committee of the Civic Assembly of Ukraine E-mail: assembly@gau.org.ua