Hello
Gentle Reader,
Along
with thirty other writers (so far) Nobel Laureate in Literature, and chronicler
of the Soviet Soul and experience, Svetlana Alexievich has resigned from the
Russian PEN central over controversy and criticism of the organization expelling
journalist, activist, and political commentator Sergey Parkhomenko from the
organization. Alexievich’s statement from January 11th reads as
follows [ from The Guardian ]:
“My
comment on Parkhomenko’s exclusion [from PEN] can only be my application to
leave the Russian PEN, whose founding ideals were cravenly violated. In the
perestroika* years we took pride in
our PEN but now we are ashamed of it. Russian writers acted as subserviently
and outrageously only during the Stalinist period. But Putin will go, whereas
this shameful page from the history of PEN will stay. And the names will stay,
too. We now live through times when we cannot win over evil, we are powerless
before the ‘red man’. But he cannot stop time. I believe in that.”
* perestroika would
refer to the beginning of Gorbachev’s thawing polices and restricting and
reform measures.
Svetlana
Alexievich is not the first writer to publish her resignation letter online. Many
other writes have also, publicly denounced the organization, and its inability
to follow the mandate of the PEN Center’s values, in the promotion and maintenance
of basic human rights when it comes to freedom of expression, such as writing. One
of Russia’s most widely read and popular writers Boris Akunin, has also resigned
from the organization. Akunin states the Russian center is no longer acting in
agreeance with the other network of PEN centers, and has failed in its mission
to protect the rights of freedom of expression and free speech; Akunin would go
on to state the centre has failed to defend persecuted writers, like Sergey
Parkhomenko.
The
Russian PEN centre has defended its move to expel Sergey Parkhomenko from its
organization, due to his ‘provocative activity,’ and ‘for trying to destroy the
organization from within.’ Sergey Parkhomenko believes his expulsion from the
organization is politically motivated because he has criticized the
organization for not defending the Ukrainian filmmaker Oleg Sentsov who is
serving a twenty year prison sentence because of ‘terrorist activity,’ which he
was convicted of in a Russian court. Oleg
Sentsov was found guilty of attempting to commit arson by setting political party
offices on fire in the Crimea capital; as well as attempting to blow up a
statue of Lenin. The ruling was heavily criticized by international
organizations, such as amnesty international, who declared the trial a: ‘redolent
of Stalinist-era show trial.’ Oleg Sentsov has apparently spent three years in
a Russian prison, and as of last year, is now housed in a Siberian penal colony
– which has no ringing inclination of Soviet era judicial proceedings and
punishments at all.
This
is not the first time Sergey Parkhomenko has found himself on the wrong side of
the political argument. In two-thousand and eleven the journalist was
instrumental in Russia protest movements, which challenged Vladimir Putin’s
third term as president. Sergey Parkhomenko would also participate in the: “Ukraine
– Russia: A Dialogue,” conference organized by Ukrainian-civil society
organizations and Mikhail Khodorkovsky (a noted enemy of Putin), where Ukrainian
and Russian intellectuals, journalist, writers and politicians would try to
reach a resolution for the Crimea annexation.
In
her Nobel Lecture Svetlana Alexievich stated:
“Russia
chose to be strong over worthy.”
With
recent news reports, articles, opinion pieces—and now this; it can be certainly
be concluded that Svetlana Alexievich is correct, in how Russia is currently
defining itself on the world stage, and displaying its strength.
“A
time full of hope has been replaced by a time of fear.”
This
is where the world and Russia now currently sis: in an ever perplexing state of
purgatory and body building show of muscle flexing. No one is awing at the
marvel of these political powers. Rather they are ashamed and afraid of what
happens when flexing turns into deliberate and violent force. Where does:
Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania sit? They must be terrified of the Siberian tiger
stalking about next door. Estonia itself survived a 2007 cyber terrorist
attack, which resulted in civil unrest, and unfortunately the Russian minority
would suffer the most, with arrest and assaults by others. Now though they are
on the teeth’s edge, as the Siberian tiger lurks just over the horizon, now
through licking its wounds, its eyes blaze with a self-assured and blind red
past tinted with the roses of nostalgia. If the Baltics are surely
uncomfortable, then Eastern Europe must feel the ground shake. Some are perhaps
too disorganized to create a united front to dispel any attempts at appropriation;
while others will strike back until they are dead, before they are consumed
once again under the ruby chains of a greater power.
Yet,
Alexievich does leave defiant hope in her parting words with Russia PEN:
“But
Putin will go, whereas this shameful page from the history of PEN will stay.
And the names will stay, too. We now live through times when we cannot win over
evil, we are powerless before the ‘red man’. But he cannot stop time. I believe
in that.”
Though
the present is lacking in any glimmer or shred of hope; time has proven to be a
cruel master of the wheel, and it crushes obsolete ideas beneath it, without
looking back. The battle maybe lost today; but war is time immemorial when it
comes to ideas, rights and ideals; and on that front only time reserves the
ability to ground up the inefficient or insubstantial into dust in its mortar
and pestle.
Edit—[ January 24th 2017 ]
Edit—[ January 24th 2017 ]
The
Plot Thickens my Dear Gentle Reader. Russia PEN has recently claimed that
Svetlana Alexievich’s resignation from the organization is absurd, as she did
not belong to the organization in the first place.
In
a statement to the American PEN Centre, the Russian PEN did its best to
mitigate and extinguish the criticism the Russian Centre has received due to
the protests of authors, who have resigned, over allegations that the Russian
branch of the international organization, has declined defending individuals
and their rights to freedom of speech and expression. The Russian PEN centre
has claimed: only one side of the story has been presented, and would like to clarify
and present their own case in their defense.
In
their statement, Russian Pen has claimed the dismissal of Sergey Parkhomenko
was simply put: disciplinary. In their statement the centre had this to say
about the reasons for their decision, and why Sergey Parkhomenko was removed
from the organization:
“He
appears to be a very rude person, our member colleagues have been constantly
suffering from his verbal aggression in the media. When he came to broadcast
his view that the honorary president of the Russian PEN and the vice-president
of PEN International Mr. Andrey Bitov was a delirious old alcoholic we thought
we had to take measures. Mr. Parkhomenko could be sued for libel, but we have
opted for a softer decision.”
The
centre did not top there in discussing the controversy over Sergey Parkhomenko
removal from the organization; it would continue to elucidate on the political
situation currently at rise in Ukraine and Russia over the annexation of the
Crimea peninsula from Ukraine. In doing so, the Russian branch of PEN has taken
a strong political stance with regards to the situation:
“Certainly,
his case was just a trigger to explode the controversy that had existed in our
PEN center for the last couple of years. It’s about whether to remain unbiased
in our human rights actions. It’s also a projection of the horrible
Russian-Ukrainian warfare which has been going on in our neighboring countries.
Mr. Parkhomenko and his supporters leaving the Russian PEN now are of the
opinion that the current Russian power is the only source of all misfortunes in
Russia and Ukraine. Any criticism of the crimes committed by the Ukrainian
regime against oppositional writers and journalists is irrelevant to them,
their native Russia being the only evil. However, there have been a few murders
and dozens of arrests, beatings and repressions against writers and journalists
in Ukraine in the past two years, nothing of the kind happening in Russia.
Their discourse is hardly a human rights one but a politically prejudiced one,
and this has been the crux of the matter for some time. We admit that the media
warfare may be powerful and convincing, but the facts and rational thinking should
always be with us to have proper understanding and take the right steps.”
This
of course refers to the case of Oleg Sentsov who is currently serving a prison
sentence in Siberia because of charges of terrorism; and yet one cannot get
past the political allegiances the centre has defined for its self, with
regards to the conflict. It explicitly states:
“Mr.
Parkhomenko and his supporters leaving the Russian PEN now are of the opinion
that the current Russian power is the only source of all misfortunes in Russia
and Ukraine. Any criticism of the crimes committed by the Ukrainian regime
against oppositional writers and journalists is irrelevant to them, their
native Russia being the only evil.”
The
statement closed with criticism of Svetlana Alexievich:
“It
is also essential to inform you that the Nobel Prize winner Svetlana
Aleksievich has never been a member of the Russian PEN, so her declaration of
leaving it sounds bizarre.”
Svetlana
Alexievich refuted the claim she did not belong to the organization by posting
a photo of her membership, which dates back to 1995. Alexievich also would
continue of her criticism of the Russian PEN centre claiming its allegiances to
the Russian government, and propagating ‘new patriotism,’ which has infected
Russia:
“That’s
the mood today. This so-called ‘new patriotism’ is a frightening phenomenon. I
have lost many friends because I don’t support [Russia’s invasion of] Crimea …
I’m instantly called a Russophobe, whereas they say of themselves: ‘We are
Statalists, we are for Great Russia.’”
Whichever
side; whichever case, one chooses to believe, it can be concluded that Russia has
mistaken greatness with selective nostalgia. Russia (and Russians) like anyone
else will crave stability, and the ability to have and maintain a job, while
also having the ability to have a family, as well as raise it and provide for
it. It is however a shame that an organization which exists to defend fundamental
freedoms, such as: freedom of speech and expression; would align itself within
political perspectives, which bring into question the ethics and moral ability,
the organization has in executing its
own mandate.
Jennifer
Clement, the current President of PEN International, delivered a speech at
Oxfam Novib/PEN Awards, which she praises the dissident writers, and criticizes
the current political atmosphere within Russia and its ideological stance. She
began by quoting Anna Politkovskaya, the assassinated Russian journalist, who
was highly critical of Russian President Vladimir Putin; and would finish off
with support for those writers who have protested against Russian PEN as well
as the jailed filmmaker Oleg Sentsov, who Clement ceremoniously petitioned to
be set free, before welcoming Mikhail Shishkin to the stage.
At
the end of the day Gentle Reader, freedom of expression is a fundamental right
of all societies—not just Democratic. To speak, to share our opinion(s) and
disagree with them, are the fundamental building blocks of intelligent
discussions within a society. It is always with a heavy heart though when the
ability to speak is muzzled and gagged, by political ideology. It is then we
realize that moving forward, is either stalled or halted; and the future has
become all that more unclear. Despite sinking hearts though, they remain with
support with the dissident writers, such as: Svetlana Alexievich and company.
Thank-you
For Reading Gentle Reader
Take
Care
And
As Always
Stay
Well Read
M.
Mary
For
more information about Svetlana Alexievich resignation from Russia PEN and the
other writers who have also given their voice in protest, please follow the
link below to The Guardian article.
Edit—[ January 24th 2017 ]
The Russian PEN Centre's statement:
http://www.penrussia.org/new/2017/7747
The following is an article from "The Guardian," which discusses Svetlana Alexievich's refute of the centre's statement:
https://www.theguardian.com/books/2017/jan/24/russian-pen-svetlana-alexievich-membership-proof
The following link is to Jennifer Clement's speech and noted remark about the situation and controversy surrounding Russian PEN.
http://www.pen-international.org/newsitems/pen-international-president-jennifer-clement-delivers-keynote-speech-at-the-oxfam-novibpen-awards/
http://www.penrussia.org/new/2017/7747
The following is an article from "The Guardian," which discusses Svetlana Alexievich's refute of the centre's statement:
https://www.theguardian.com/books/2017/jan/24/russian-pen-svetlana-alexievich-membership-proof
The following link is to Jennifer Clement's speech and noted remark about the situation and controversy surrounding Russian PEN.
http://www.pen-international.org/newsitems/pen-international-president-jennifer-clement-delivers-keynote-speech-at-the-oxfam-novibpen-awards/
No comments:
Post a Comment