Vladyslav Kaskiv

Vladyslav Kaskiv, Ukraine

"Mr. Kaskiv was a key leader of Pora ("It's Time"), the pro-democracy movement comprised mostly of young people which played a critical role during the November-December 2004 Orange Revolution. In the run-up to the Ukrainian Presidential election, Pora mobilized voters and highlighted problems with voter registration lists. For its efforts, the movement was vilified by the former Ukrainian administration, and Pora activists were repeatedly roughed up by government thugs and detained by police on trumped-up charges. Following the fraudulent November 21 presidential run-off election, Pora members moved quickly, gathering en masse at Independence Square, setting up a massive tent city in downtown Kiev, and peacefully blockading key government buildings. Led by Mr. Kaskiv and others and enduring brutal winter weather, Pora members, often waving their distinct yellow banners, maintained a peaceful presence "on the barricades" for the duration of the Orange Revolution, refusing to abandon their tents until the announcement of the official vote tally January 10, 2005 showing that Viktor Yushchenko had won the election. Pora's rallying cry, printed on orange stickers that were liberally applied to government property during the protests, was this universal truth: Freedom cannot be stopped."

• White House "Champion of Freedom" (2005)