Dear Editor:
Today Ukraine’s “Joan of Arc,” pilot Nadiya Savchenko, sits in a Russian jail in the Rostov region after being sentenced to 22 years in jail after being falsely accused and unjustly convicted of directing artillery fire that killed two Russian journalists in eastern Ukraine in June of 2014.
When the judge began to read out the sentence for Ms. Savchenko, she started to sing Ukraine’s national anthem. The judge had to stop the proceedings for at least five minutes. The hearing was later interrupted again after people in the crowd began to sing the Ukrainian anthem. The pilot, considered a martyr in Ukraine and elected to Parliament there in absentia, has denied all charges
Ms. Savchenko has been on several hunger strikes during the past two years time. (The latest one was a dry hunger strike.) On April 19, Ms. Savchenko agreed to stop her hunger strike after speaking over the phone with Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko.
Just recently Ms. Savchenko’s sister, Vira Savchenko, was detained by Russian authorities after her latest visit to her sister. They seized her passport, but eventually returned it and allowed her to enter Ukraine after direct intervention by the Ukrainian Consulate in Rostov. When Nadiya Savchenko was told about this by one of her attorneys, her response was extreme outrage.
May 11 is Nadiya Savchenko’s 35th birthday. Sadly, this is the second year in a row that I am asking Ukrainians and our supporters the world over to please join the campaign to “Send Nadiya Savchenko a Birthday Card.” (The event can be found on Facebook.) It makes Ms. Savchenko’s day to receive mail. She publicly thanked the world for the great volume of birthday greetings she received last year. Let’s show her that people from all parts of the world still care about her and have not forgotten her. You can do so very easily by simply wishing her a happy birthday. Facebook users are asked to please post a photo of their cards on the event page (https://www.facebook.com/events/100666782 2758710/).
As was the case last year, I have been informed that, in general, the Russian authorities do not allow any mail that is not written in Russian, and same goes for mail containing Ukrainian symbols or colors. The easiest thing to do is wish Ms. Savchenko a happy birthday with the Russian greeting “С Днем Рождения.” You can also choose to just send a card with drawings or photos without the greeting in Russian. Please note that any mail with non-Russian language, or the Ukrainian language and symbols will not be delivered to Ms. Savchenko. The jail does not accept postcards.
You should address your card to Nadiya Savchenko as follows:
Russian Federation
346408, Ростовская область
г. Новочеркасск, ул. Украинская
д.1 ФКУ СИЗО-3 ГУФСИН России по Ростовской области.
Савченко Надежде Викторовнe
or
Russian Federation
346408, Rostov Oblast
g. Novocherkassk, ul. Ukrainskaya
d. 1 FKU SIZO-3 Gufsin Russia in the Rostov Oblast
Savchenko Nadezhda Viktorovna
Please write your return address in the language of your country of residence.
Thank you! Slava Ukrayini! Heroyam slava! (#FreeSavchenko #FreeThe Ukrainians #LetMyPeopleGo)
Austin, Texas