Activism in Russia

Please help this young woman with CP get out of a Russian mental institution!
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Russian disability activists acting on behalf of Katya Timochkina, an
18 year old child with cerebral palsy, are requesting that people
write the governor of Samara Region in Russia and let her leave a
psychiatric institution, where she is being kept against her will.
Katya has no psychiatric disabilities and has expressed a wish to get
an education (she has never received an education) and have a
successful career as a psychologist.

You can learn more about Katya at the English language blog, In
Solidarity with Katya Timochkina (http://katyat.wordpress.com). The
blog includes a link to a Russian-language interview on Youtube with
translation into English.

The simplest and most effective way of helping Katya is to write a
postal letter to the governor. Russian officials are required by law
to respond to each piece of written correspondence. Even a short,
carefully-written, personal letter on why Katya's fate is important
to you- without assuming a preachy or accusatory tone- would be very
powerful.

These letters are especially important now because in Russia's
current political climate it is increasingly difficult for community
activists, including disability activists, to operate. A regional
minister in Samara lodged a complaint to Russia's human rights
ombudsman that certain disability activists were expressing undue
interest in the fate of Katya! These very activists also happen to
serve on a government commission on inclusive education for children
with disabilities!

The governor's address is:

Vladimir Vladimirovich Artyakov, the Governor of Samara Region.

His address is:

Russia 443006,

Samara,

Molodogvardeiskaya Ulitsa, 210.

Postal letters with the sender's address and a request for a reply
bind the Governor to respond.

While an email does not require the governor to respond, it also
generate attention. Email the governor at governor@samara.ru

Katya's case has been covered several time in Izvestiya, one of the
top three newspapers in Russia and covered on national TV there. She
has the potential of becoming a symbol of Russian children with
disabilities who seek to live fulfilling lives of dignity, where they
can offer their gifts to the world and make a positive contribution.
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To whom it may concern,

I have heard about the plight of Katya Timochkina, the 18 year old with Cerebral Palsy who lives in your country. Because of her intelligence and her successful education, I ask that she be allowed human rights to be able to leave the mental institution where she currently lives.

People with disabilities can lead very successful lives outside of an institutional environment. I have Cerebral Palsy myself, and am college educated, and living with assistance in my own apartment. I have friends, own a company, and am even even engaged to be married.

Once again, I urge you to let Katya Timochkina leave to pursue a life of successful community integration. Life outside of an institution can be daunting without supports, but if she is given the support that she needs to live a life of her own, I am confident that she will be a productive member of Russian society.

I thank you for your time. Sincerely,

Nick Feldman
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All responses are welcome! Show the world that people with disabilities can lead very productive lives outside of the institutional environment.