From: Socialistisch Alternatief, the Dutch section of International Socialist Alternative (socialistischalternatief.nl, https://internationalsocialist.net/en/)
To the Ambassador of the Russian Federation,
# Free Yulia Tsvetkova!
Yulia Tsvetkova is a Russian artist arrested by the reactionary Kremlin bureaucracy of Vladimir Putin. They claim that she is “spreading pornography” with her abstract drawings of female bodies. In reality, the Kremlin is using her drawings to attack all women and LGBTQ+ activists. Yulia Tsvetkova can be jailed for six years if found guilty.
# Free the Khachaturyan Sisters!
The Khachaturyan Sisters defended themselves against their father after enduring a lifetime of physical and sexual violence. Initially, the prosecution ruled that the Khachaturyan Sisters acted in self-defense. Later, a commission of inquiry rejected the sisters right to self-defense. Now, the Khachaturyan Sisters face harsh penalties for trying to survive. This sends a message that freedom of speech and the right to self-protection are prohibited in Russia. The Putin regime continues to escalate attacks against innocent victims, women, and the LGBTQ+ people— as part of the broader attacks on the poor exacerbated by the global economic crisis of capitalism and the pandemic.
We demand:
- The immediate release of Yulia Tsvetkova.
- The immediate release of the Khachaturyan Sisters.
- End oppression and violence against women in Russia.
- Stop the attacks on LGBTQ+ people in Russia.
- Stop state violence against the poor in Russia.
We will continue our fight for an international, democratic, worker-led, and Socialist economy to end the violence of capitalism against women, LGBTQ+ and other minorities. Questions/Comments/E-mail: info@socialistischalternatief.nl.
