EuroMaidan activists abducted in Luhansk

Two activists – Alexei Beda and Anna Mokrousova – have been abducted in Luhansk and it is believed that they are being held in the SBU building which is under the control of pro-Russian militants.  Beda is one of the leaders of Civic Sector and both were active EuroMaidan supporters.

In truly sinister fashion, Anna (or somebody sounding like her) has been making calls to another prominent Luhansk human rights activist – Konstantin Reutsky, asking him to bring the keys from her car.  He is understandably suspicious, especially since the places he is told to come are strange.  It seems likely that they want to abduct him as well.

The tragic irony is that all three activists have been convinced of the need to hold dialogue and hear the demands and grievances of people in the East.  Reutsky himself spent a few hours talking to the people who have taken over government buildings in Luhansk and wrote an article for Ukrainska Pravda on April 25 in which he expressed his conviction that negotiations are needed, rather than force.