Zelenskyi officially responded to banning the book about Stus
Photo: suspilne.media
The Office of the President reacted to the situation of banning the book about Vasyl Stus.
"We took note of the decision on the book "The Case of Vasyl Stus" by the Darnytsia District Court of Kyiv. We also made a note of the statement of the book author Vakhtang Kipiani and representatives of the publishing house about the intention to appeal. At least, it is evident that society is ready to defend its rights. We are certainly surprised by some wording in this decision, although we do not question the independence of the judiciary," Zelenskyi's press-service writes.
The Office of the President is surprised by the definition of the plaintiff Viktor Medvedchuk as a "character (actor) of the work."
"However, since this book explains a real repressive criminal case against Vasyl Stus, which was initiated in the USSR and which he was convicted for, we find it strange to define the plaintiff Viktor Medvedchuk as a "character (actor) of the work." The book is an exact reprint of the materials of the criminal case. The purely documentary basis of the book is not in the slightest doubt. Thus, according to the book's logic, Viktor Medvedchuk is a participant in an actual process that took place in history and not just a "character of the work." The participant's behavior is analyzed solely based on documented facts, which are not a product of the authors' literary work and literary fiction," Zelenskyi's Office wrote.
The Office of the President stressed that censorship in Ukraine is directly and unambiguously prohibited by the Constitution. In any manifestations.
"We assume that scholarly research of history, processing of materials of the history of our people, in particular with tools of journalism, cannot be limited because of emotions of separate participants of past events. Irrespective of today's status and political position of these participants.
We urge all citizens to have the courage to look honestly at the events of our people's past and the actions or inactions of individuals," Zelenskyi's Office said.
On October 19, the Darnytsia District Court of Kyiv banned distributing the printed edition of the book "The Case of Vasyl Stus" without Medvedchuk's permission.
