[Congressional Record Volume 147, Number 26 (Thursday, March 1, 2001)]
[House]
[Pages H606-H607]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




  FREEDOM OF ASSEMBLY, FREEDOM OF SPEECH, FREEDOM OF PRESS CANNOT BE 
                         COMPROMISED IN UKRAINE

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the House, the 
gentlewoman from Ohio (Ms. Kaptur) is recognized for 5 minutes.
  Ms. KAPTUR. Mr. Speaker, I rise this evening to report to my 
colleagues and to our country indeed on an extremely troubling event 
that occurred early this morning in the nation of Ukraine, the most 
important strategic nation in Central Europe today.

[[Page H607]]

  What happened was that Ukrainian police, and I am quoting from an 
international news report, launched an early morning strike on 
opponents of President Leonid Kuchma, swiftly pulling down a makeshift 
tent camp which had become a focus of protests against that country's 
leader.
  I might add, having just returned from that country, those 
demonstrators were peaceful; they were living in freezing temperatures, 
in tents; and they have a right to assemble; they have a right to 
speech; they have a right to express their opinion.
  The news report goes on, as police tore down the tents, demonstrators 
tried to wrest back meager belongings which were dumped into lorries. 
Those resisting were manhandled into the back of unmarked gray trucks. 
Several protestors waving the blue and yellow Ukrainian national flag 
threw themselves desperately in front of the vehicles before being 
dragged away. Four hundred police arrested 100 peaceful demonstrators. 
The demonstrators, who have braved months of freezing temperatures and 
alleged harassment in one of the most potent symbols of resistance 
against that country's President, vowed not to give up.
  Two hundred people, bystanders, watched as officers rapidly 
dismantled the camp. They were shouting, shame on the police. Most 
seemed stunned by the action against the peaceful tent dwellers.
  I have some pictures here from the international press showing the 
arrest of peaceful demonstrators.
  Now, politically I may not agree with some of those demonstrators in 
terms of their ideology. Some may be of the far right or the far left. 
It really does not matter. They have a right to assemble. The 
government of Ukraine is saying, well, the courts of Ukraine ordered 
them to be dismantled because they were assembled in a part of the city 
where they did not have a permit. Having been there, I can say they 
were large sidewalks. They were not bothering anybody. It was in a 
median strip.
  The question is, why would that government choose to forcibly remove 
these demonstrators at this time?
  Our delegation, having just returned from Ukraine, spent over 2 hours 
with the President of that country offering the President the help of 
the West and getting at the bottom of what was causing the 
demonstrators to assemble, and that is the beheading of a journalist in 
that country and the possible implication of the President of that 
nation in that terrible act.
  We offered the President advice, saying that transparency in 
investigation, objectivity in investigation, could raise the confidence 
level of his own people and, in fact, all freedom-loving peoples. We 
received his assurance that freedom of assembly would not be marred, 
that freedom of speech would be able to continue, that freedom of press 
would be allowed.
  We said we would come back here to Washington and offer a resolution 
in which we would support those principles being maintained in that 
country as it emerges into a more democratic arrangement, and yet today 
we hear about this awful act in that country.
  Now, as we develop this resolution, as Members of this body, we are 
going to word a stronger resolution because we believe that regardless 
of an individual's views, one cannot compromise freedom of assembly; 
one cannot compromise freedom of speech; one cannot compromise freedom 
of press.
  I would urge in the strongest possible terms the government of that 
nation to find a central place in which these demonstrators might be 
allowed to express their opinions. They were not even talking. They 
were merely staying in tents in cold weather.
  The government says, well, there were no toilets in the area. Let me 
say, respectfully, in many places there are no toilets in that country.
  It is important that freedom be allowed to emerge. The West has to be 
a strong voice for freedom of assembly, the very principles that allow 
a democratic nation to emerge. Again, we would offer to the President 
of Ukraine all of the institutions that this country has to offer, with 
our friends in the OSCE, the Organization of Security and Cooperation 
in Europe; to have a thorough and impartial investigation; to raise the 
confidence level of citizens of Ukraine and citizens of the free world 
everywhere that investigations are being pursued thoroughly, 
completely, in a fair-minded and open manner.
  To do this, to take this action, is a terrible, terrible sign to the 
West, and we ask that government to please provide an area for people 
to freely demonstrate.

                [From the New York Times, Mar. 1, 2001]

            Ukrainian Police Tear Down Anti-Kuchma Tent Camp

       Kiev.--Ukrainian police launched an early morning strike on 
     opponents of President Leonid Kuchma on Thursday, swiftly 
     pulling down a makeshift tent camp which has become a focus 
     of protests against the country's leader.
       To cries of ``Shame, shame'' and ``Kuchma out!'' from 
     bystanders, some 400 policemen took about an hour to surround 
     and evict around 100 occupants from some 50 tents on Kiev's 
     elegant Kreshchatyk street.
       The camp was set up in December by protesters demanding 
     that Kuchma investigate the mysterious death of a journalist, 
     which has triggered a huge scandal in Ukraine.
       The United States and European Union have expressed concern 
     over the case and Kuchma's office published a letter from 
     George W. Bush, during the Ukrainian leader to pursue reform 
     and respect the rights of individuals.
       As police tore down the tents, demonstrators tried to wrest 
     back meager belongings, which were dumped into lorries. Those 
     resisting were manhandled into the back of unmarked gray 
     trucks.
       Several protesters waving the blue and yellow Ukrainian 
     national flag threw themselves desperately in front of the 
     vehicles before being dragged away.
       The demonstrators, who have braved months of freezing 
     temperatures and alleged harassment in one of the most 
     potent symbols of resistance against Kuchma, vowed not to 
     give up.
       ``We'll put them back up. I can't say right now how 
     quickly, but we'll be back,'' said a visibly-shaken Yuri 
     Lutsenko, one of the leaders of the Ukraine Without Kuchma 
     movement.
       Around 200 people watched as officers rapidly dismantled 
     the camp, several shouting ``Shame on the police.'' Most 
     seemed stunned by the action against the peaceful tent-
     dwellers.
       Lutsenko, whose movement includes opposition parties, 
     rights groups and ordinary citizens, said 40 protesters were 
     arrested. Police spokesman Olexander Zarubytsky said 15 
     people had been charged with preventing officials from 
     carrying out their duties.
       The scandal was sparked when journalist Georgiy Gongadze, 
     who was critical of Kuchma's rule, went missing. It 
     intensified when a headless corpse was found outside Kiev in 
     November.


                      case of the headless corpse

       Kuchma's involvement was alleged when opposition 
     politicians published tapes in which a voice similar to his 
     was heard giving orders to ``deal with'' the reporter.
       Austrian experts said on Wednesday that they could not 
     verify that the voice was Kuchma's.
       But the International Press Institute, a press freedom 
     group, said that after nearly two months of deliberation it 
     seemed hard to believe that the hundreds of hours of 
     expletive-strewn recordings had been faked.
       Kuchma denies all involvement but this did not prevent the 
     U.S. and European statements of concern, as well as those 
     from international human rights groups.
       The Ukrainian president's office said the letter from Bush 
     urged Kuchma to pursue reform and respect the rights of 
     individuals. It also said the United States was ready to help 
     Ukraine get through its current difficulties.
       The tent dwellers, whose eviction had been ordered by a 
     Kiev court, accused police of violating their freedom.
       ``You should have more respect for the constitution,'' one 
     shouted as he was carried off by around 20 police.
       ``It is unbelievable, I am an invalid and he is pushing me 
     around,'' said Vitaly Yushevich, who was pulled out of his 
     tent by a burly police officer and bundled out of the camp.
       Police said the protesters' belongings would be returned.
       ``We are carrying out the court's orders. . . . All the 
     tents' occupiers will be able to claim their property back 
     later,'' said a police officer at the scene.

                          ____________________