Head of Institute of CIS states, Ukrainian branch, blows whistle on SBU

October23200822:17

Vladimir Kornilov, head of the Ukrainian branch of the Institute of CIS States, has appealed to Ukraine’s Ombudswoman Nina Karpachova, citing threats by Security Service of Ukraine director Valentyn Nalyvajchenko to close the institute. According to V. Kornilov, the declarations by V. Nalyvajchenko violated his human rights and amounted to meddling with the work of an independent organization, V. Kornilov told ZIK Oct. 23.

He expects the ombudswoman to react to his appeal as her office is authorized to monitor SBU activities with regard to human rights observance.

V. Kornilov says he will not appeal to court. Since the Institute of CIS States (Kyiv branch) can be closed only by a court ruling, it must be done by those who want to terminate the institute’s work in Ukraine, he says.

“We expect them to file a suitcase. Then we will know what kind of secret materials and documents the SBU has about our activities which can serve as a cause for closing the institute and which have been allegedly handed over by V. Nalyvajchenko to the justice ministry,” V. Kornilov said.

He claims no Ukrainian laws have been violated by the institute and, therefore, it cannot be closed.

The Ukrainian branch has always been under pressure from the authorities, Kornilov claims. “On a number of occasions, we were visited by officials who told us what we could say and what we should not say. We are often checked but no violations have been revealed. We often feel harassment by the Ukrainian authorities and various nationalistic elements. This is how they interpret democracy.”

Comment by ZIK

SBU has forwarded to the justice ministry materials to terminate the activities of the institute’s Ukrainian branch headed by V. Kornilov, SBU head V. Nalyvajchenko declared.

Ukraine’s chief spy says the institute’s officials organized a conference aimed at denying the fact of the 1932-1933 Holodomor. Under the Ukrainian law, Holodomor denial is subject to administrative punishment. “Their activities on the territory of Ukraine must be discontinued,” V. Nalyvajchenko stressed.
Print