The final statement of Mr Vladimir Balukh, Ukrainian, at Razdolnensky District Court. The activist addressed all Ukrainians who are concern about the fate of the country.
‘I am not going to say now anything for the court, I will say for the people, not only for those who are here now, but also for those who are beyond this building.
The first I will start with: there is no criminal case in fact, this is just a knock-about played by those who have been instructed to play this out.
All this originates not from the bullets, not from a substance that unclearly why was recognized ‘an explosive substance’ by the court, though there are no grounds for this. It has been decided here to ‘cow’ me since the moment of Crimea occupation. The situation around me has been for a long time already, must be since 1999 when I first participated in the election campaign not only as a candidate but also as a member of a district election commission. Since then I have been a member of the commissions, either district or precinct ones, during all election campaigns. The reason is my principal position.
People often say the following words: we have not been lucky to live well, let our children live at least. Though trying to earn, to make the children well living, they do not understand one simple issue – until we hand our children not even an ideal state, but at least a wish and a need deeply implanted to be free people, to assert their freedom and their human dignity, to hit the state in face each time when it breaks the limits. And not just to hit in the face but to move forward the human life.
Life is a great gift given to everyone and a great ordeal. Firing this life out, the people must understand that their freedom, honor and dignity are only in their hands.
I do not know a state in the history that would have protected human honor and dignity. Every state undertaking certain state functions undertakes a monopoly for violence, committing itself formally – in black and white – to defend honor, dignity and rights. In fact this monopoly is used only for the single purpose – to defend itself from the people, to oppress them, to make them do what not the state as structure needs, but what certain people of this state need, to consider itself a monopoly not for certain resources, natural deposits but also a monopoly for the human honor and dignity.
If man does not agree with any decision due to objective reasons, it is always possible, using the state machine, to succeed in breaking volition, breaking the man himself, to deprive him of health, life. Such a machine will stop at nothing since the pious for it is at stake – money, possibility to receive and use what in fact is owned by the whole world, the people who live on this land.
Therefore I think, this is my opinion, if, God forbid it, people once forget such words as freedom, dignity and honor, this world would come to an end.
And the world will exist until such people are. If God bless us with such benefit to have more and more such people, then the state, that we can’t do without at this stage of history, will have to improve its structures. This always happens under the pressure of the public and the public organizations.
What is happening with me is a brilliant illustration of how the state machine may work. Nothing sacred, no legal arguments, nothing acts on it, and all this is due to the word of one or several people. This is the first reason of my being here. The second reason is my love to my Motherland, to everything that I am composed of, to my nationality, to the memory of my ancestors. All of them whom I know were Ukrainians, people of worth preserving the traditions. This is how we were educated by mother and father. Motherland for me means the same as the mother, family, children.
The occupation of Crimea has been a starting point. And this is why details dating as early as 2010 have become evident in this case. The system has been successful for a long time in grinding such people, with many being broken, many having agreed. This is how the system is built up – I have got a choice. If I had rejected my way, forgotten my principles, then I would have just to admit my fault, crack up morally not to be imprisoned. And this person sitting in front of me he would require not 5 years and 1 month, but some 2-3 years, probably, conditional sentence – but just crack up.
But – I do not want life on the earth to stop, I do not want my descendants, children of the entire Ukraine, to reproach me once that I have chickened out somewhere, gone soft. Yes, there were objective reasons, none would like to experience what I am experiencing now. Any person may be understood, but I have lived already out my best years, and I can’t afford myself to chicken up at this age. That’s why everything goes as it goes.
The only thing I ask my sister is to beg my mother on my behalf to pardon me .
