Poltava, Poltava Oblast, Ukraine – 2018

Organisers: All-Ukrainian Association of people living with drug addiction (“VOLNA”)

The “Witch Hunt” action also was performed in Poltava, Ukraine. It was an art performance, similar to those which the All-Ukrainian Association of people living with drug addiction (“VOLNA”) also had showed in Odessa and Kiev.

The activists staged a “witch hunt” during the action. “Inquisitors”, which symbolised criminalization and discrimination, tortured and tried to burn the “witch” – a person who lives with drug addiction. The action was aimed at changing the repressive Ukrainian laws on drugs, ending the decriminalization of people who use drugs, and providing them with access to harm reduction services.

“We urge to end the “war on drugs”, which turns into a” witch hunt” in our country, where witches are people who use drugs. We call for equal rights for people living with drug addiction and to get rid of myths and stereotypes. We urge you to abandon ineffective punitive drug policies. Decriminalization of possession of drugs for personal use should be a priority. It is also necessary to replace the criminal prosecution of people who use drugs with administrative penalties or completely abolish any punishment», – Velta Parkhomenko, the coordinator of the national action “Support. Don’t Punish” said.

A thematic movie was broadcast on the screen during the performance. It was made in memory of those who had died because of the existing drug policy. The activists released black balloons with printed prison bars on them into the sky after the action.

“People who use drugs are constantly discriminated and stigmatised. This prevents them from returning to society and receiving proper treatment, which in turn creates a risk of further spread of HIV/AIDS and other socially dangerous diseases. The purpose of our action is to draw public attention to the problem, so we could counter these threats together, as well as help representatives of key communities to get vital treatment and adequate support of the state instead of the prison sentence,” – Yanina Stemkovsky, the protest’s organiser and regional representative of “VOLNA” in Poltava, said.

The action was organised by the All-Ukrainian Association of People Living with Drug Addiction “VOLNA”, it was supported by “Meridian”. Local public organisations and activists from Poltava and its region joined the action.

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«ПОЛЮВАННЯ НА ВІДЬОМ» У СУЧАСНІЙ ПОЛТАВІ ПРОДОВЖУЄТЬСЯ