We have been informed that the letter we published on Jan 28 2025 from an anonymous source is factually incorrect and therefore we are removing the letter and our comments based on the letter. The letter claimed that Bogdan Syrotiuk was a pseudonym of the Ukrainian political prisoner and leader of the Young Guard of the Bolshevik Leninists (YGBL) and that Ostap Rerikh was his legal name. This claim was factually incorrect. On the basis of this mistaken information the letter writer went on to accuse the World Socialist Web Site (WSWS) of using Bogdan's real name instead of his pseudonym in a series of articles reporting on the YGBL, thereby needlessly exposing Bogdan Syrotiuk's identity to the repressive arm of Ukrainian intelligence forces. We, the editorial board of the Permanent Revolution website, apologize for publishing and commenting on this factually mistaken letter. It should not have happened.
Before we published the letter we did reach out to the chair of the World Socialist Web Site twice for a comment. This is standard journalistic practice. We waited for 3 days for a response and, receiving none, we went ahead and published the letter. The decision to publish the letter was made only after several discussions weighing the consequences and only after waiting for and receiving no response from the WSWS. It was made in the belief that we had a responsibility to provide a warning about the dangers of not using a pseudonym when doing political work in a highly sensitive situation. This was also the intent of the author of the letter as far as we could determine. Nevertheless the decision to publish the letter and comment on it was wrong given that we could not verify all the allegations contained in the letter. We apologize to Bogdan Syrotiuk, the Young Guard of the Bolshevik Leninists and to the World Socialist Web Site. We fully support the campaign to free Bogdan Syrotiuk.
Permanent Revolution Editorial Board.
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| Bogdan Syrotiuk |
