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http://www.razom.org.ua/en/news/2644/

Students are ?fighting? to get to the Viche

Law-enforcement organs and university authorities throughout Ukraine are interfering illegally with students? ability to leave for Kyiv for participating in the Ukraine-wide Student Viche, which is being held at 4:00PM today in Kontraktova Ploshcha. Nevertheless, ?Studentska Khvylia? (?Student Wave?) representatives report that most students managed to get through to the capital.

Following are the facts of confrontation between the government and Ukrainian student body.

Vinnitsa

In the town of Tulchin, Vinnitsa oblast, militia prevented the departure of a bus while the head of the local higher learning institution frightened the parents of the activists.

Friday night militia and representatives of the higher learning institutions administration entered Vinnitsa dormitories and interfered with the student?s ability to leave and with their departure by the late-night and early-morning electric trains to Kyiv. A part of the delegates is traveling in small groups and about 2/3 have already arrived to Kyiv.

Volyn

The local State Traffic Inspectorate (STI) was ordered to keep busses from leaving the oblast. Nevertheless, 100% of participants have succeeded in getting to Kyiv.

Dnipropetrovsk

In Dnipropetrovsk, the rector of the Institute of Mining (Victor Yanukovych?s representative) gathered students and threatened them. 25 students caved in to pressure and abandoned the trip in the last moment. Pressure has been applied in other higher learning institutions as well. The STI has set up tough surveillance on the roads. University pro-rectors come to train stations and attempt to take their students off trains. Militia representatives kept busses from leaving in Nikopol, Zhovti Vody, and several other towns. Despite enormous pressure, 80% of student representatives from Dnipropetrovsk region have arrived to Kyiv by 9:00AM Saturday morning.

Donetsk

In the town of Mariupol, Donetsk oblast, the local transportation company, pressured by authorities, in the last moment refused to provide a bus regardless of a prior agreement. Most delegates from Donetsk region have already arrived to Kyiv.

Zacarpathian region

Group monitors at Zacarpathian universities had been called up and told that students would have problems if they do not stop their public activities.

Zaporizhzhia

In the town of Berdyansk, Zaporizhzhia oblast, militia representatives removed license plates off a rented buss, prohibiting the driver to leave town. So, instead of taking the bus, 50 students bought train tickets. A subbotnik (in soviet days, a tidying up activity traditionally held on Subbota (Saturday) was scheduled at Zaporizhzhia State University. Train militia got on the train with students and law-enforcement representatives tried to pressure the leadership of the delegation. Militia representatives have been telephoning students? parents, demanding students to get off the train in Dnipropetrovsk or to be taken off by force. 90% of the Zaporizhzhia delegates have arrived to Kyiv by 9:00AM on Saturday.

Kirovohrad

Kirovohrad?s government authorities prohibited all transportation companies going to Kyiv. Students attempted to get train tickets. It had been reported that Yanukovych?s headquarters were transporting close to 400 young men (mainly street criminals) to Kyiv.

The Crimea

Prior to the Viche, Yanukovych?s headquarters in the Crimea were paying students 100 dollars to oppose ?Studentska Khvylia.?

Luhansk

A large group of criminals to be transported to Kyiv had been assembled in Luhansk.

Lviv

A delegation from Lviv spent the night outside Kyiv hiding from militia and arrived to the capital early in the morning.

Mykolayiv

Mykolayiv?s State Traffic Inspectorate was ordered to prevent busses with the Viche participants from leaving. Drivers of the busses, already filled with students, were telephoned and ordered not to leave. Documents were taken away from them and they were forced to write receipts, stating that they refused to leave. University heads are pressuring students, demanding not to leave for Kyiv. Almost all the busses, because of the STI pressure, did not leave for Kyiv. Law-enforcers also stopped and detained an automobile with the regional ?Studentska Khvylia? coordinator.

Odesa

All busses, even microbusses, in Odesa are prohibited to leave the city limits. Only students that managed to get train tickets left for Kyiv.

Poltava

In Poltava, the local STI is interfering with and is threatening to revoke licenses to all those who leaves for Kyiv with students. Students had been called up and threatened at their universities. Subbotniks have been scheduled. Nevertheless, most participants have left. A buss tire was punctured in Lubny at night during the militia check.

Ternopil

Delegates, traveling by busses, were taken off the transport. The busses were then taken to an inspection station to look for ?malfunctions.?

Kharkiv

Hundreds of students in Kharkiv region were called up by the dean?s offices and forced to write declarations about giving up the trip. Most people wrote declarations but over 90% of the participants still left for Kyiv and arrived to the capitol without problems.

Kherson

The STI in Kherson region received orders to prevent busses from leaving; under pressure, drivers refused to drive the delegation. Students were called up and threatened with punishment for going to Kyiv by the dean?s offices. Only those delegates that traveled by train arrived in Kyiv due to the fact that law-enforcers were blocking busses physically.

Cherkasy

Classes were scheduled at two universities in Cherkasy. It is possible that 100 ?White Lotus? soldiers will depart for Kyiv.

The local STI blocked the road to Kyiv for 40 minutes. At approximately 9:00AM on Saturday, unidentified criminals driving ?Zhyguli? automobile (license plate CA 5766 AA) tossed metal spikes in front of the autocade, which almost lead to two busses overturning. As of 9:30Am the busses were being repaired.

Chernivtsy

Law-enforcers removed license plates off the busses going to the Viche.

Chernygiv

Classes were scheduled at Chernygiv Technological University for Saturday; a fine for missing classes was set at 72 UAH (app. ). In a conversation with the oblast coordinator the rector said that classes had been scheduled instead of Friday, 31 December, and that the fine is provided for by the university?s statute. None of the university representatives gave up going to the Viche. Delegates will arrive to Kyiv in small groups.

Kyiv

At the meeting with the minister of education Kremin the heads of Kyiv?s universities were ordered to schedule either classes of consultations for Saturday, to control attendance, and to ?conduct work? with activists.

At many higher learning institutions, in particular at the Pedagogical and the Trade and Economic universities, students were forced to sign statements that they would not attend the Viche. The pro-rectors of these universities as well as those of NAU, NUBA and others have promised to come to the rally and check.

A person that arrived in the evening of 15 October was met at the buss station by people in civil clothing, searched, and made give up a flag and nameboards with university names.

Vrije Oekrainer

Bezorgde Hollander

maurits