Press Releases

November 22, 2011

UKRAINIAN WORLD CONGRESS STATEMENT ON THE 78TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE HOLODOMOR OF 1932-33

On Saturday, November 26, 2011, International Holodomor Memorial Day, Ukrainians around the world will remember the victims of the Ukrainian genocide – the Holodomor of 1932-33, the most extensive and heinous crime of the totalitarian Soviet regime against Ukraine and the Ukrainian nation.

Seventy eight years ago, in an attempt to subdue our nation and destroy its national spirit, Soviet authorities brutally eliminated millions of innocent Ukrainians causing irreparable harm to the social fabric of Ukraine's  society, its spiritual culture and ethnic identity.

Honouring the memory of the Holodomor's victims, the over 20 million strong Ukrainian diaspora, led by the Ukrainian World Congress (UWC), continues its persistent efforts to raise international awareness of the reasons and consequences of the Holodomor in Ukraine. Among our greatest accomplishments has been the recognition of the Holodomor as an act of genocide by the governments of sixteen countries. One of these countries was Ukraine, recognizing the Holodomor as a genocide in 2006. Today, the Ukrainian government does not recognize the Holodomor as a genocide of the Ukrainian people in direct contravention of the Law of Ukraine ”On the Holodomor of 1932-33 in Ukraine.”

In commemoration of the 78th anniversary of the Holodomor of 1932-33, the UWC calls upon the Ukrainian diaspora to remember this tragic historical event and mark the anniversary on Saturday, November 26 with memorial services, community vigils and other commemorative events. The UWC also calls upon every Ukrainian family to light a candle in the window of their home and unite in the international campaign “Light a candle in remembrance.”

“In order to prevent the resurgence of totalitarian regimes and the recurrence of such horrors, the UWC calls upon all Ukrainian communities around the world to continue their efforts to raise awareness and actively support the recognition of the Holodomor as a genocide of the Ukrainian people in their countries of residence,” stated UWC President Eugene Czolij.

May our memory of the victims of the Holodomor-genocide of the Ukrainian nation be eternal.

 

October 15, 2010

KEEP THE FLAME ALIVE IN MEMORY OF 1932-33 HOLODOMOR VICTIMS IN UKRAINE

 

Ukrainians around the world will mark Holodomor Remembrance Day on November 27, 2010 – the annual commemoration of the most tragic episode of Ukraine’s history when the totalitarian Soviet regime used famine as a weapon in the breadbasket of Europe to commit genocide known as the 1932-33 Holodomor.

 

The communist government spent decades denying and spreading disinformation about the Holodomor internationally and eradicating its memory within Ukraine. But the truth prevailed and today the world knows about this deliberate, state-organized mass murder of Ukrainians. Declassified archival materials, research by Ukrainian and foreign scholars and eyewitness accounts contributed to the adoption on November 28, 2006 of the “Law on the Holodomor of 1932 – 1933 in Ukraine.”Article 1 of this law states that the “Holodomor of 1932–1933 in Ukraine is a genocide of the Ukrainian people.” Irrefutable evidence was revealed and 14 countries around the globe joined Ukraine in recognizing the Holodomor as genocide; the memory of Holodomor victims has been honoured by various international institutions, including the European Parliament, Organization of the United Nations, UNESCO and OSCE.

 

The policies of Ukraine’s new government, however, disparage the memories of millions of innocent victims. During a Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe session earlier this year, newly-elected President Victor Yanukovych stated, in direct violation of Ukrainian law, that recognizing the Holodomor as an act of genocide of any one people is “incorrect and unjust.”Parliamentary forces loyal to Yanukovych have declared their intention to turn back the historical clock and amend Article 1 of the “Law on the Holodomor of 1932 – 1933 in Ukraine”to read “tragedy” instead of “genocide.”

 

In response to these developments, the Ukrainian World Congress (UWC) launched an international awareness campaign on June 19, 2010in continuation of its decades-long commitment to establishing the truth about the Holodomor. The campaign called “Svichka Molinnia” (Remembrance Candle) is being conducted in Ukraine and abroad. The campaign’s slogan is translated as “Keep the flame alive in memory” and its twofold goal is to honour the memories of millions of innocent victims and to provide the international community with information concerning the real causes of the Holodomor.  

 

UWC appeals to Ukrainians worldwide to join the Remembrance Candle commemoration this November 27, 2010, on Holodomor Memorial Day. The campaign’s initiatives for that day include:

·       memorial services in churches,

·       appeals to other religious denominations to honour Holodomor victims’ memories,

·       display of signs reading “1932-33 Holodomor – genocide of Ukrainians”,

·       Ukrainian flags adorned with black ribbons flown from government and Ukrainian establishments and private homes,

·       one minute of silence to be observed from 19:32 to 19:33 (7:32 to 7:33 PM) local time as a symbolic representation of the Holodomor years, followed by prayers in memory of the millions of murdered Ukrainians and

·       the lighting of candles in every church, community centre and in the windows of homes.

On an ongoing basis Ukrainians should continue working toward the following goals:

·       recognition of the Holodomor as genocide of the Ukrainian people by the parliaments of the countries where they reside,

·       inclusion of the Holodomor in educational programs of learning institutions,

·       public education campaigns on the Holodomor within Ukrainian and local communities, and

·       events to raise awareness among the general public and mass media such as roundtables, press conferences, academic symposiums, screening of films, etc.

The Chairman of the International Holodomor Committee and UWC General Secretary Stefan Romaniw said: “As we honor the victims of the Holodomor, we need to do everything to ensure the world knows the truth about those horrifying events that should never be repeated anywhere in the world. For this reason alone we cannot be silent. Our duty is to combine efforts and through united action prove that we won’t allow anyone, including President Victor Yanukovych, to extinguish the candle lit in memory of the victims of the 1932-33 Holodomor in Ukraine,”

 

Ukrainian World Congress

          

Stefan Romaniw

Chairman, Ukrainian World Congress Committee

for International Holodomor Awareness

General Secretary, Ukrainian World Congress