GALINA STAROVOJTOVA, MEMBER OF GENERAL COUNCIL OF THE ANTIMILITARIST RADICAL ASSOCIATION, DIED AS A SOLDIER - ON WAR WHICH IS CONDUCTED AGAINST ALL OF US BY THOSE WHO HATES FREEDOM

Statement of Nikolaj Khramov, Russian coordinator of the Transnational Radical Party and secretary of ARA:

Moscow, November 21, 1998. ``Galina Starovojtova has been assassinated. Ruslan Linkov, her assistant is hardly wounded. News, which has come through channels of news agencies at this night, is similar to a shot in frosty night's silence. For the first time in Russia a politician of such a level has been killed. This time everything is sterilely "clean": in Starovojtova's case there is no place for a mean idea, that here "not all is clear", that here is "something with commerce" and so on. Galina Starovojtova was not engaged in commerce. She was a politician. One of few politicians, literally counted by fingers in today's mafia Russia, which were not involved in any dirt. She did her best to achieve in our country the affirmation of principles of freedom, democracy, Rule of Law, right on life and life of Right. And she gave for it her life.

Galina Starovojtova died as a soldier: on war, which is conducted against all of us by those who hates freedom, who wants to return us "back into the future" - be it communist or mafia's, red or brown, no matter.

Galina Starovojtova was not only one of the most popular liberal and democratic politicians in Russia. She was also our companion: member of General Council of the Antimilitarist Radical Association, one of the few consequent friends of the Radical Party in the State Duma who participated in all initiatives of the Radical Party - whether it be struggle for freedom of Tibet and democracy in China, campaign for creation of the International Criminal Court, counteraction to militarism and battle for the law on alternative civilian service, struggle against prohibitionist policy on drugs, criminal and vital for narcomafia... She was among those five (only five!) members of Russian parliament, who this autumn have found in themselves wisdom and courage to join openly the international campaign for indictment for war crimes the Serbian dictator Milosevic.

Galina Starovojtova was a politician of tomorrow's Russia - a free, democratic, lawful state. They are so few today, such politicians, in our unfortunate country. Very few. It is easy not only to count them by fingers, but also to shoot coolly one by one. But nevertheless, the customers of this murder doomed on defeat in the war announced by them to the Russian citizens. Because the ideals of freedom, for which has given her life Galina Starovojtova, ideals of a civil society and Rule of Law will win. Even if it seems today that force is not on their side.''

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