“Bogdan’s case has all the signs of a politically motivated persecution. The human rights defenders of the Foundation join the petition and call on the Ukrainian authorities to immediately release the young man from custody and drop all charges against him.”
“A government that outlaws strikes and jails a young worker for calling for workers’ unity is not defending anybody’s freedom, it is defending itself against its own working class.”
“While we do not share the views of the World Socialist Web Site, we express solidarity with the activist group. Let’s remember that repression in one country feeds repression in another and vice versa.”
“It is clear that he has been arrested because the ruling Ukraine regime is engaged in suppressing his leftist and anti-war voice and oppressing the anti-war voices of workers and youths. Our organisation urges Ukrainian authorities to immediately release Bogdan Syrotiuk.”
“We consider that the imprisonment of the 25-year-old Comrade Bogdan on bogus accusations is not merely an anti-democratic attack on an individual but an attack on the international working class as a whole.”
“Free Bogdan Syrotiuk. Thank you, David North, for exposing Zelensky for what he is.”
“I strongly condemn this act of the Ukraine government. I demand the Ukraine government release our comrade unconditionally. Bogdan Syrotiuk did not do or say anything wrong. What he did was fight for the sake of the international working class.”
“Even though we have big differences with the Ukraine position of this current, we defend Bogdan against the repression of the bourgeois state of Ukraine, as we defend all proletarian class war prisoners.”
“How can one continue to defend Ukraine as a democracy when someone is sentenced to fifteen years imprisonment for expressing opinions that in no way jeopardize Ukrainian security?”
“The same charge of support for the Russian government has been levelled against all opponents of NATO’s proxy war in Ukraine, including Stop the War.”
“No evidence of sabotage or direct military collaboration has been presented. This is an entirely political trial.”
“Bogdan Syrotiuk spoke for peace and for the unity of workers across borders. That is not treason—it is the voice of humanity.”
“Free him immediately!! Warmongers should be questioned. World leaders should sit together and argue, not promote wars. Less spending on arms and wars. Spend on education, peace, health care, social issues. Bogdan wants this as well as all ordinary working people.”
“I am against his imprisonment because they are denying him the right to free expression. And secondly, because opposing a pointless war and calling on others not to take part in it is also his right, and they must not repress it.”
“Last August 10, the sentencing of a socialist to 15 years in prison for alleged high treason in Ukraine was made public. The cause? The publication of antiwar articles calling on Russian and Ukrainian workers to unite.”
“I, Professor Dr. Mario Kessler, historian in Berlin, hereby strongly protest the Pervomaisk court's conviction of Mr. Bogdan Syrotiuk. Mr. Syrotiuk is accused of acting on behalf of the Putin regime in Russia. In court, Mr. Syrotiuk pleaded not guilty. He stated that, as a Ukrainian socialist, he condemns the Russian invasion from its beginning.”
“Leftists who claim the mantle of internationalism must speak out against the reactionary nationalism that the Russian and Ukrainian regimes are using to crack down on dissent. He must be released immediately!”
“Bogdan Syrotiuk should be freed because his persecution is a direct attack against the entire working class and all those who oppose stupid, bloody, imperialist war.”
“The circumstances of their arrest and continued imprisonment constitute a severe violation of international human rights law. No citizen should be imprisoned for their political beliefs, peaceful activism, or dissent.”
“The Ukrainian regime is reactionary. Bogdan is fighting for just cause and no one should be punished for doing what right. We need more people like him speaking out against injustice. If you put someone like him behind bars that shows there is something gravely wrong with system itself. I agree with Bogdan’s fight to unite Russian and Ukrainian workers against war. They the ones who are suffering from a war that is the fault of American imperialism and European countries’ instigation.”
“To win a victory for socialism and human rights in a part of the world that sorely needs to look to both.”
“It’s important for all working people to stand together in the face of such unhinged nationalist rhetoric.”
“Bogdan is in many ways luckier than his peers whom he defended in his writings. He was amendment that the war must come to an end and that only the working class would be hurt by its continuation. As we watch the Ukrainian recruiters kidnap civilians to be put on the front lines, against drones, an enemy they have no chance against; he stands vindicated. While he is in many ways luckier than those sent to the front lines, his battle is the same as theirs and he vocalized this battle. It is clear that for the anger in the Ukrainian working class to be used effectively to pressure their state, we need voices like Bogdan who has the rhetoric and the clear understanding of theory needed to rally on the basis of class. His struggle is the struggle of the working class, we will not be bullied into silence.”
“Because his arrest is a suppression of his human rights and freedom of speech.”
“I signed to protect expression and rights.”
“Imprisoning someone for writing letters calling off the war in Ukraine is not only a violation of human rights, it also weakens the stance of Ukraine, as Russia can state that that they are just as abusive. That was one of the most stupidest thing Zelensky could have done.”
“It is not criminal to advocate for workers' lives; an end to the massacre of such people in a conflict which will never advance their interests.”
“how do can a government pretend to defend democracy and end up putting someone away for speaking their truth. Down with the corrupt Zelensky clique!”
“Bogdan is speaking in the interests of his class and both countries, it is a travesty that groups like Azov are be glorified while those who oppose senseless bloodshed are imprisoned and accused of treason.”
“Because he has family”
“It is rather simple. He is to be released, for the proofs are of no substance.”
“Because he is a human rights activist!”
“Unusual criminal punishment”
“Bogdan's freedom is in the interests of workers and anti-imperialists everywhere.”
“Yes it’s completely anti-democratic to prosecute someone for their freedom of expression. Indicates fascism; and weakness.”
“Bogdan has been persecuted for exercising free speech. His imprisonment shows just what "democracy" exists in Ukraine.”
“He gives a powerful voice in the world”
“I believe democracy is important to be embrace on a global scale, no matter the country.”
“I believe that Bogdan should be freed because, not only are the charges against him completely fabricated, but they also contravene international law on freedom of political expression.”
“He did nothing wrong.”
“He did nothing wrong, he was only writing articles expressing his opinion. His verdict puts everyone in danger who opposses war. His freedom means our freedom.”
“Bogdan’s perspective to unify the Ukrainian and Russian working class against the war, which has cost tens of thousands, likely hundreds of thousands, of lives is the only viable one. It cannot happen soon enough. The fact that the Ukrainian state has instead locked him up and intends to keep him in prison for 15 years tells you everything about where it stands on the war: to continue it, for its own interests, together with those of its backers in Western Europe and the United States.”
“Je suis comme ce militant, contre cette guerre capitaliste et contre toutes les guerres que mène et que veut mener le capitalisme. La seule guerre qu'il faut mener c'est la guerre contre le capitalisme. Liberté pour Bogdan et vive la révolution socialiste.”
“We need to protect free speech”
“Political criticism is not treason. The discussion of the historical crimes of WWII Nazi collaborators such as Stepan Banderra is not a crime of treason. Calling for working people on both sides of the war to stop killing each other is not a crime. These acts of Syrotiuk are treated as treason by a judiciary that acts as executioner for the Ukrainian government. All people who value human life and democratic principles must demand freedom for Bogdan Syrotiuk!”
“Bogdan Syrotiuk must be freed because he was wrongly imprisoned for exercising his human right to freedom of opinion and its public expression.”
“I am definitely appreciating the awareness!”
“He is a genuine socialist who fought for the unity of the Ukrainian, Russian and international working class against the war.”
“This reads so much like what Stalin did, and how McCarthy behaved, that I expect it is going to keep Ukrainian and other european writers, including Russian writers, busy writing stories on it for ages. I had no idea that all he had done was express his opinions, and the "crime" was they didn't jibe with the current Ukrainian government's opinions. Anyone who thinks wars should stop ASAP and that workers in both countries should stop it, is a man or woman of peace.”
“This man has done nothing but use his freedom of speech. In the QLD legislation, freedom of expression may have restrictions but he was NOT harming anybody, so by law; he has done nothing wrong. Free Bogdan Syrotiuk.”
“Bogdan Syrotiuk is a 27-year-old Ukrainian socialist sentenced to fifteen years in prison for six published articles. No espionage, no sabotage—only his words. He called for the unity of Ukrainian and Russian workers against the governments waging war over their heads, and for that he is being buried alive in Mykolaiv. His case is not an aberration. It is the logic of a system that discards, silences, and punishes those it cannot use. I recognise that logic. It operates in Melbourne as it operates in Ukraine—different in degree, identical in kind. Free Bogdan Syrotiuk, immediately and unconditionally.”
“Bogdan’s imprisonment is inimical to democratic principles and an insult to rational society across the globe. To quote revolutionaries of the past, Bogdan’s self-evident rights to life and liberty are being openly violated by this court. This cannot stand anywhere in the democratic world.”
“Bogdan did not commit any crime. He is a hero rather, fighting to end this war by uniting the working class on both side of the border. He must be released from prison and rehabilitated immediately as he is in poor health.”
“Definetly should be free.”
“How can we uphold our support for Ukraine as a democratic nation when individuals face lengthy prison sentences for merely sharing opinions that pose no threat to its security?”
“My support for Syrotiuk is grounded in the principle that opposition to war must not be criminalised. One can condemn Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, recognise the suffering of the Ukrainian people, and still defend the right of individuals to criticise NATO, the Ukrainian government, Russian policy, or any other party to the conflict. Defending political freedom does not require agreement with every position expressed by the person whose rights are at stake.”
“I signed because Bogdan is our comrade in arms and is fighting a legal battle, which is a clear frame-up against him. He should be released at all costs and needs to see the light of day outside the prison. Our movement is the only anti-war socialist and internationalist movement and hence he has been arrested and charged with the crime by the class enemy. It is our duty to defend him and save his life. Thanks for giving me this opportunity. Regards, Sathish.”
“i was texted by a random number that told me to do so, and after reading this website i decided to sign.”
“Der junge Kriegsgegner wurde zu 15 Jahren Gefängnis verurteilt, weil er an die russische und ukrainische arbeitende Bevölkerung appelliert hat, gemeinsam den Krieg zu beenden. Wie jeder normale Mensch, der kein Nationalist ist, weiss Bogdan, um die engen kulturellen und familiären Verbindungen zwischen beiden Ländern. Es ist noch nicht so lange her, um zu vergessen, dass es der gemeinsame Kampf russischer und ukrainischer Sowjetbürger war, der wesentlich dazu beitrug, den Zweiten Weltkrieg zu beenden und den Hitlerfaschismus zu besiegen.”
“The Russia Ukraine war is the most dangerous hot front of the Third World War, which is no longer a future prospect but is a reality. Bogdan is the number one figure in Ukraine who tried to halt that hot front by unifying those who have been forced to fight and kill each other in the interests of the oligarchies that rule over them. Our survival depends on what he stands for. Those who have incarcerated him, and who support this, are contributing to the growing danger that the Third World War will escalate into an open military confrontation and the launching of nuclear weapons.”
“He fights for the right cause, he stood against Ukrainian government which is greatly responsible for the war with Russia. He should be released immediately! No justic in keeping him behind the bars! He is against war, that's what matters the most!”
“The arrest and imprisonment of Bogdan Syrotiuk is an attack on freedom of speech and thought, that could be used to make any critique of Zelensky and his government as high treason”
“Being a socialist is not a crime!”
“The imprisonment of Bogdan Syrotiuk is a statement by the Ukrainian government of what it is truly fighting for. That government stands opposed to the working class and will not tolerate freedom of speech, and will use force to silence opposition.”
“Socialists should be protected by a country that claims freedom”
“Free speech”
“Many of my countrymen have grown up with a constant hatred of the Soviet Union and that hatred persists today fueled by the remberance of Stalin, the KGB and its former head, Putin. The Soviet Union no longer exists. It is now Russia, a capitalist country ruled by the Oligarchs, mostly the sons and daughters of the Soviet Unions former Stalinist leaders. There was an alternative to Stalin. One that embodied the ideals of Lenin and Trotsky. That alternative was murdered following the assignation of Trotsky. Not murdered in full as Trotsky Created the fourth International and so his ideas have lived on. To understand the war in Ukraine you must understand its history during the Russian Civil War and WWII. While many of the oligarchs lived in Russia, the Ukraine formerly part of Russia had its own oligarchs that now support Zelenskyy. Neither Russian or Ukrainian oligarchs offer a way forward for the Ukraine people, Bogdan represents that way forward but he is imprisoned for treason because he represents that way forward by uniting the working class of both countries by rejecting the Nationalism of both countries and uniting together the workers of both Russia and the Ukraine.”
“Bogdan’s jailing is part of the increasing repression of opposition to the brutal Ukrainian government as they try to send more Ukrainian workers to their deaths in the war against Russia. The war must be stopped and Bogdan released.”
“Diese Freiheit, für die die Ukraine kämpft. — This is the freedom Ukraine is fighting for.”
“We, Youth for Change, the youth organisation of the Frontline Socialist Party in Sri Lanka, condemn the repressive actions of the Zelensky regime and demand the immediate release of our brother Bogdan Syrotiuk, who is facing hateful false charges! We call upon youth around the world, revolutionary and progressive youth movements, and leftist parties to unite against the imperialist capitalist forces that are the architects of the Ukraine-Russia war!”
“I am outraged to learn that Ukrainian socialist Bogdan Syrotiuk has been sentenced to 15 years in prison for expressing his political views in historical critiques published by the World Socialist Web Site. I implore the Pervomaisk City District Court to reverse this sentence and grant Mr. Syrotiuk his due rights of free speech.”
“Bohdan Syrotiuk did nothing wrong by expressing opposition to the insane Russian-Ukrainian war... The Ukrainian court needs to reverse its decision and release Syrotiuk.”
The total includes signatures that are not listed here: those carried over from before this site, and signers who asked not to be shown.
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