|
Statement on Bykivnia
At an extraordinary
meeting of the Executive Board of
the Ukrainian World Congress, held on June 4, 2005, in Toronto, Canada,
members
of the Executive considered a number of issues before Ukraine. They
concluded
that one of the important issues concerns Bykivnya and other places of
mass
graves of victims of the NKVD and Stalinism in general. Bykivnya is one
such
place that calls out to the heavens for justice and for a dignified
commemoration of the victims of the evil Communist Russian imperial
chauvinists, who should answer before history and the Ukrainian nation
for
their crimes.
On Sunday, May 15,
2005,
the President of Ukraine, the Honorable Victor Yushchenko, many members
of the
Ukrainian government and the Parliament, as well as other high ranking
government officials participated in a Requiem to honor the victims
buried in
Bykivnya.
In his statement at the Requiem, President
Yushchenko
shared with the Ukrainian nation his deepest emotions concerning the
tragic
events of the Stalinist era. President Yushchenko’s moving words makes
clear to
all that Ukraine is on the road to filling in the blank pages in its
history.
In this regard, the UWC welcomes the call by President Yushchenko at
the
Requiem in the Bykivnya forest on May 15, 2005 to establish an
Institute of
National Remembrance of Ukraine.
This initiative by
President Yushchenko is explained in the report published on the
Official
Internet Site of the President of Ukraine, of May 15, 2005. The report
covers,
in part, the statement by President Yushchenko at the Requiem: “at the beginning of the 1990s no one knew
fully how many people are buried in the Bykivnya forest and the
understanding
was that these were victims of Nazism. The truth is, the head of the
Ukrainian
government emphasized, here are buried victims of Stalinism. I am
pleased that,
as the years pass, we learn more about the historical truth and that
each year
more and more people visit this place, each year more and more
representatives
of the government are present here. I am convinced that buried here are
the
souls and bodies of the finest people, irrespective of their positions
in life.
This place is to bring forth-new awareness. The President of Ukraine
called on
all present to join together in the restoration of places of historical
importance for Ukraine and assured that, to this end, the government,
civic
organizations and he personally will be working.”
The second most
important statement made by the President Yushchenko at the Requiem in
the Bykivnya
forest is that the President regards it unacceptable that the October
Palace –
this historically important place – is being utilized as an amusement
park. The
October Palace should become a Museum of the Repressed and the
government in
this regard will support any initiatives, stated the President. The Executive Board of the
UWC is pleased to note the proposals by President Yushchenko to
establish in
the city of Kyiv an Institute of National Remembrance of Ukraine and to
transform the October Palace into a Museum of the Repressed. The
Executive
Board of the UWC welcomes these initiatives of the President of
Ukraine, Victor
Yushchenko, and assures the full support and assistance of the
Ukrainian
Diaspora in their realization.
In his statement at
the Requiem, President Yushchenko shared with the Ukrainian nation his
deepest
emotions concerning the tragic events of the Stalinist era. President
Yushchenko’s moving words makes clear to all that Ukraine is on the
road to
filling in the blank pages in its history. In this regard, the UWC
welcomes the
call by President Yushchenko at the Requiem in the Bykivnya forest on
May 15,
2005 to establish an Institute of National Remembrance of Ukraine.
June 8, 2005
On behalf of the Executive
Board of the UWC
Askold
Lozynskyj
Victor
Pedenko
President
General Secretary
|
