Dear Colleagues
You may have read media coverage over the past month or so about the arrest of Natalya Sharina, Director of the Library of Ukrainian Literature in Moscow following a police raid. She was charged with inciting racial hatred, and after a short period of imprisonment is now subject to house arrest.
IFLA-FAIFE (the Committee for Freedom of Access and Freedom of Information) issued a statement on 12 November 2015 expressing concern over Natalya's arrest describing it as disproportionate and unnecessary. The statement can be found at http://www.ifla.org/node/9992
IFLA-FAIFE has continued to monitor the situation which has not improved since then.
Librarians in every country have an important part to play in upholding Article 19 of the UN Universal Declaration of Human Rights - that "Everyone has the right to freedom of opinion and expression; this right includes freedom to hold opinions without interference and to seek, receive and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers."
We should all be concerned that a Librarian today is under house arrest for supporting that right.
Amnesty International UK has now launched an on-line petition identifying Natalya Sharina as "a prisoner of conscience" saying that "she has been deprived of her liberty for peacefully exercising her right to freedom of expression", and asking "the Russian Prosecutor General to release her and stop criminal proceedings immediately." The petition can be found at https://www.amnesty.org.uk/actions/russia-free-librarian-natalya-sharina
It is good to see this case reaching a wider audience.
IFLA-FAIFE is in contact with the Russian Library Association and will continue to monitor this case and consider what additional action can be taken. In the mean time, those of you interested in this case please take the time to look at the IFLA-FAIFE statement and Amnesty petition.
Martyn Wade
Chair, IFLA-FAIFE
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