A book on the trial against Putin as a form of protest: a Czech diplomat creatively responded to Lavrov during an OSCE meeting.
At the OSCE meeting taking place on December 5-6 in Malta, the spokesperson for the Czech Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Daniel Drake, caught attention with an unconventional form of protest. During the speech by Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, he was seen reading the book "The Trial of Vladimir Putin" by lawyer Geoffrey Robertson. Drake explained his actions by stating that he wanted to "spend his free time usefully."
On his social media page, he mentioned that the Czech Foreign Minister Jan Lipavský left the room before Lavrov's speech, while he decided to catch up on required reading. In Robertson's book, the possibilities of holding Putin accountable for the war he initiated in Ukraine are analyzed.
"Thank you, dear Daniel Drake. We appreciate the solidarity of the Czech Republic. Instead of listening to war criminals, we will continue to work together to bring the title of your book to life," wrote the spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Georgiy Tikhiy, under a joint photo.
Countries' Demarche During the OSCE Meeting
Leaving the room during Lavrov's speech became a widespread form of protest at this year's event. In particular, the Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiha did the same, having previously called the Russian minister a "war criminal". Following him, representatives from several countries, including Poland, exited the hall, with Polish Foreign Minister Zbigniew Rau explicitly stating that he would not listen to "Lavrov's lies about the Russian invasion of Ukraine."
During the OSCE meeting, the Polish delegation called for the prevention of the platform's use for spreading Russian propaganda. At the same time, the organization "Reporters Without Borders" emphasized the necessity of demanding the release of imprisoned journalists from Russia. According to human rights defenders, there are currently 37 journalists held in Russian prisons, one is under house arrest, and Ukrainian journalist Viktoriya Roschyna died in custody in Russia.
The participants of the meeting stressed that the presence of the Russian delegation on the international stage cannot be justified in light of the Kremlin's war crimes. Overall, the OSCE meeting in Malta gathered representatives from 57 participating countries. Despite the arrest warrant for Putin issued by the International Criminal Court in March 2023, Russia remains a participant in the organization. Such actions have drawn sharp criticism from Ukraine and its allies.