The following statement was released on March 15, 2022:
We the members of the SMPTE Board of Governors, issue this resolution condemning the unprovoked invasion by Russia of the sovereign country of Ukraine, the slaughter of innocent Ukrainian citizens, the destruction of Ukrainian infrastructure, and the suppression of individual rights of Russian citizens to speak and associate freely. We support and defend the individual human rights of our members in Russia and Ukraine as well as those of all our members. We call on the government of Russia to immediately cease its invasion, withdraw all its troops from Ukrainian territory, and restore the rights of Ukrainian and Russian citizens.
We call on our partner associations in the television, motion picture, social media, and related industries to join us in our resolve against the actions of the Russian government.
Therefore, we, the members of the SMPTE Board of Governors are suspending the activities of the SMPTE Russian Section and its members' individual participation in the SMPTE Board of Governors until further notice.
ABOUT SMPTE: SMPTE is the global society of media professionals, technologists, and engineers working in the digital entertainment industry. The Society fosters a diverse and engaged membership from both the technology and creative communities, delivering vast educational offerings, technical conferences, and exhibitions, the SMPTE Motion Imaging Journal, and access to a rich network of colleagues essential to their career success. As an internationally recognized standards organization, SMPTE also provides a vital technical framework of engineering standards and guidelines that allow the seamless creation, management, and delivery of media for art, entertainment, and education worldwide.
