In accordance with the Resolution adopted by the General Assembly of the United Nations on June 15, 2007, the International Day of Non-violence is celebrated on October 2.
The date was not chosen at random. On October 2, 1869, Mahatma Gandhi was born – the leader of the independence movement of India, whose philosophy of non-violence made a key contribution to the movement of advocates of a peaceful change. His principles and way of life served as inspiration and a guide to action for public organizations and movements around the world, who are fighting for social change and civil rights by non-violent methods. Despite being in the most challenging environment of all-round pressure by the authorities, Mahatma Gandhi stayed committed to the belief that “fair means lead to fair ends.”
The principle of non-violence negates physical violence as a means to achieve social or political goals. Citizens’ actions, namely depriving the government of support, sometimes can exert the necessary influence on it. The most common type of non-violent action is a public expression of beliefs through rallies, as well as other non-violent intervention.
Daria Morozova, Human Rights Ombudsman in the Donetsk People’s Republic, highlighted this in her comment: “A peaceful protest and free will of the residents of Donetsk and Lugansk regions were followed by an armed response by Kiev authorities. Moreover, human rights violation and oppression of civilians have become a common practice used by the Ukrainian side. On the International Day of Non-violence, we once again call upon to aim for peaceful political settlement of the conflict in Donbass, which is only possible if Ukraine takes a constructive position within the framework of the Minsk negotiation process,” she said.
