22.01.2004
To: Mr. Goran Persson,
Prime Minister of Sweden
Dear Mr. Prime Minister,
30 years participation in human rights movement – in the Former USSR and then in Russia – persuade me that there are basic human rights values which are capable to unite, not separate, the civilized Mankind. And we highly appreciate the plural support which we received also from Sweden during decades. That is why it was especially depressing to know about Swedish Government’s sponsorship and official championship of the exhibit which use the word “TRUTH” with regards to the murder of 22 Israeli Jews and Arabs in suicide bombing attack on a restaurant in Haifa, Israel.
The Government of Sweden justified its position under the rubric of artistic freedom. Let us imagine however for a moment that some cynical or crazy artist produced the same exhibit with the same inscription “the Madness of Truth” where instead of picture of nice young women – homicide bomber he would use the picture of young man – murderer of Minister Anne Lind? Would Government of Sweden refer to artistic freedom in this case as well to justify its sponsorship of such an exhibit? I guess it surely could not happen.
Dear Mr. Goran Persson, I deeply believe, from all my heart, that you personally and the Government of Sweden as a whole do not accept at all the double standard approach with regards to the murder of human beings, depending on their ethnicity etc. — the approach which, as tragic history showed, not a once resulted in genocide and other crimes against humanity. That is why I ask you to condemn the notorious exhibit at the Stockholm’s Museum of National Antiquities and to meet positively the Simon Wiesenthal Center’s Appeal to the Government of Sweden to declare any suicide bombing a “crime against humanity” at the forthcoming “Preventive Genocide” conference in Stockholm.
Sincerely
Boris Altshuler,
Member of the Moscow Helsinki Group,
Head of the “Right of Child” and “Movement without Frontiers” NGOs,
Russian Research Center for Human Rights,
Moscow
