The
Better World – Home For All
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.