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January 19th 2005 • Printer version  On January 24, three visiting law professors from Lviv National University in Ukraine spoke about their countryÃs
Orange Revolution the popular and perfectly-organized uprising last
fall that successfully replayed a contested presidential election
without bloodshed.
They discussed Standing up to Election Fraud and Fear: Prospects for Democracy
and Ukraine's Orange Revolution," in an afternoon forum at the law school. Susan Gary, a UO law professor who attended the talk, said, "
It was a
terrific panel. The speakers described not only the legal
chronology of the events but also the feeling of being part of the
process. With their words, with pictures and with the anthem of
the revolution playing through the computer, they captured the
experience of making history in a way that was truly inspiring."
The three law professors are
Andriy and
Natalia Andrusevych and
Zoryana Kozak. They are in residence at the Environmental Law Center at the UO School of Law.
They also work with Ecopravo-Lviv, a public interest
environmental law organization.
Associate Professor Michael Myagkov, a
Russian, was in Moscow in 1991. He spoke of experiencing then the same
feelings of hope and confidence that shone on the faces of the
Ukrainians, but he was more pessimistic about long-term possibilities
given what has happened in Russia.
Eugene attorney Michael Goldstein Ã75,
has worked in Russia,
Ukraine and Georgia on United States-sponsored rule of law programs for
the newly independent states of the former Soviet Union. Goldstein
marveled at what had been accomplished in Ukraine and said that United
States assistance is most successful when the recipients have their own
vision of change and know what is best for their countries.
Event organizer Svitlana Kravchenko, a visiting law
professor and president of Ecopravo-Lviv, said in November, "Changes are occurring in all three branches of the
government of Ukraine. But the real story is not in the
government. It is in the people themselves. Never have so many
protested a government action. "People are happy. They are realizing that they have real power. I also feel
different
myself.
The panel was sponsored by the Human Rights for ALL program of the UOÃs Carlton Savage Professorship. INFO: Dr. Svitlana Kravchenko
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