Five administrative reports were drawn up at the Odessa Drama Theatre following a language inspection
This was reported by Anna Nerush, a spokesperson for the Commissioner for the Protection of the State Language in the Odesa region.
Why the investigation was launched
The investigation was prompted by the situation surrounding the cancellation of the play ‘Mina Mazailo’, which was being staged by a student director.
According to Anna Nerush, the student lodged a complaint and provided audio recordings of conversations with the theatre’s management, as well as a recording of the Artistic Council meeting. These materials were forwarded to the Security Service of Ukraine for investigation within the scope of its powers.
The Commissioner for the Protection of the State Language twice contacted the theatre demanding the necessary explanations and documents, but, as noted, received no response. The theatre initially cited the language ombudsman’s lack of relevant powers, and subsequently invoked personal data protection.
What violations were identified
During the examination of the investigation materials, it was established that certain individuals had communicated in Russian during a meeting of the Artistic Council. The theatre’s director and four members of the council, including People’s Artists and Honoured Artists of Ukraine, were invited to participate in the proceedings.
As the participants in the meeting explained, they had allegedly used Russian at the request of a student who, according to them, did not have a sufficient command of Ukrainian theatre terminology.
At the same time, a representative of the Language Ombudsman noted that the complainant had received his specialist education in Ukrainian, and that the conduct of meetings in local government bodies is governed by Article 12 of the Law of Ukraine ‘On Ensuring the Functioning of the Ukrainian Language as the State Language’, which does not provide for a switch to another language at the request of individual participants.
What decisions were taken
Following the findings of the inspection, an administrative report was drawn up against the theatre’s director for failing to comply with the lawful requirements of the Commissioner for the Protection of the State Language.
Four further reports were issued to members of the Artistic Council — for breaching the legal requirements regarding the use of the state language in the activities of the municipal institution. Anna Nerush also emphasised that she does not support the idea of cancelling the theatre’s performances because of this incident.
According to her, responsibility should be personal and should not extend to the troupe, which was not involved in the violations.
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