Anna Fotyga reaguje na skandaliczną mapę

W związku ze skandalicznym oznaczeniem przez firmę Apple w aplikacjach map oraz pogody okupowanego Krymu jako terytorium Rosji, Anna  Fotyga wysłała do kierownictwa firmy poniższy list.

 

 

To:      Chief Executive Officer of Apple Inc. Tim Cook

Chairman of the Board of Apple Inc. Arthur D. Levinson

Senior Vice President and General Counsel of Apple Inc. Katherine Adams

Senior Vice President of Apple Inc. Eddy Cue

 

Dear Apple representatives,

 

As a member of the European Parliament, I am writing to express my concerns about the recent erasure of Crimean independence in regards to Russian annexation and control. The case wherein Russian users saw Crimea as part of Russia on Apple Maps and Weather apps, but others outside the country did not, illustrates a concerning concession to Russian government influence. The erasure of territorial sovereignty amidst geopolitical conflict is highly disturbing – international law must be valued above profit.

The United States and the European Union, together with other countries, all condemned Russia’s criminal actions and voiced a strong position of non-recognizing an illegal occupation and annexation of Crimea. Serious sanctions have been imposed on Russia ever since. Last month, the International Court of Justice in The Hague ruled that it has jurisdiction to hear Ukraine’s allegations against Russia regarding Moscow’s occupation of Crimea and the Kremlin’s role in eastern Ukraine.

Our message is clear – no country is above international rule of law, and it is disturbing that powerful private companies such as Apple are willing to subvert said laws in order to maintain consumer relations with the Russian Federation. Please be informed that according to the latest available poll results, only 62 percent of Russians support the annexation of Crimea and the number is steadily decreasing – the Russian government does not speak for all of its people.

We call upon you, as representatives of a company whose products are broadly used by European citizens, to maintain proper values and be exemplary not only in the development of technology, but also in subsequent ethical behaviour. It is impossible to ignore the suffering of Crimean people under Russian annexation, including the case of Oleg Sentsov, a Crimean filmmaker and activist who was the awardee of 2018 Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Thought after five years of unjust imprisonment. Many more Crimean political prisoners, most of them Crimean Tatars, remain imprisoned in Russia under fabricated charges, and Apple’s troubling decision to adhere to Russian geopolitical pressure rather than acknowledge the humanity of those suffering must change.

We are heartened by the rapid measures taken by Apple after initial reporting on the matter, but there is still more to be done – the fact that it occurred at all is still cause for alarm. We rely on you to restore correct mentioning of Crimea as part of Ukraine in Apple Maps and Weather apps at the earliest possible time. We look forward to partnering with you to help fully remedy your error and move forward in a more politically-aware sense in the future.

 

Sincerely,

Anna Fotyga, Member of the European Parliament

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