Free Bogdan

In Germany, too, there is a threat that the draft will be reinstated. That is why we can only advise people to refuse military service in a timely manner. In other countries, people who refuse to serve in the military face greater danger. On August 10, 2026, a Ukrainian court sentenced Bogdan Syrotjuk, a 27-year-old Trotskyist and opponent of the U.S.-NATO war against Russia, to 15 years in prison for “high treason” under martial law.

Yet the “investigations” conducted from the time of his arrest on April 25, 2024, through the indictment and the current verdict failed to find any evidence of a one-sided view of the war in Ukraine. A 65-page report by Yuri Irchin, one of Ukraine’s leading criminologists, found no “statements, phrases, sentences, or combinations of words in Bogdan’s writings that show signs of propaganda supporting the Russian Federation’s armed aggression.” The court never responded to this report.

The protest rally against his arrest and conviction reminded us of the years-long persecution of Julian Assange. Assange, too, was held in solitary confinement for over 11 years without evidence — and for a long time, without even being charged.

Bogdan’s conviction is also an attack on democratic rights and on all opponents of militarism, fascism, and war. That is why the rally at the Brandenburg Gate yesterday was not only a loud demand for his release, but also a call for an end to the war in Ukraine, which threatens to plunge all of Europe into catastrophe.

Read more https://www.wsws.org/de/special/pages/freebogdan.html

Comment

For further confidential communication, we recommend that you include a reference to a secure messenger, such as Session, Bitmessage, or similar, below the comment text.

To prevent the use of this form by spam robots, please enter the portrayed character set in the left picture below into the right field.