On 28 November 2015, International Holodomor Memorial Day, Ukrainians around the world will mark the 82nd anniversary of the Holodomor, Ukrainian Famine Genocide of 1932-33, with solemn commemorations in remembrance of the millions who perished simply because they were Ukrainian.
The Holodomor was the extermination by enforced starvation of millions of men, women and children by the Communist totalitarian regime of Joseph Stalin who was determined to ensure that Ukrainians would no longer pose a threat to Soviet rule.
As millions were dying a horrifying death on a rich, fertile land known as the “breadbasket of Europe,” the West refused to hear the voices of truth about the Ukrainian Holodomor and instead, allowed itself to be deceived by the louder voices of deception that effectively concealed or confused the facts.
This genocidal act was not an isolated event in history, but part of a long timeline of historical events that served to keep a nation oppressed and subjugated. This timeline of events has led the Ukrainian people to the juncture at which they stand today, united against a foreign aggressor that persistently, yet unsuccessfully, attempts to quell the nation’s aspirations for a free and dignified life.
Today, with the wealth of information available in archives around the world, the genocide of the Holodomor can no longer be denied. It remains to be seen, however, if the world has learned from the lessons of the Holodomor. Contemporary generations will be judged for their ability to defend the principles of democracy, the dignity of every human being and fundamental human rights, and to foster truth.
Honouring the memory of the Holodomor’s victims, the 20-million strong Ukrainian diaspora, led by the Ukrainian World Congress (UWC), vows to continue its persistent efforts to raise international awareness of the Ukrainian Holodomor, including recognition by all governments and the United Nations of the Holodomor as an act of genocide.
The UWC expresses gratitude to the survivors of the Holodomor for speaking the truth and sharing their painful memories to help the world understand this tragedy, and calls upon the descendants of the victims and survivors of the Holodomor to continue holding high this torch of truth.
On Saturday, 28 November 2015, International Holodomor Memorial Day, at 19:32 local time, the UWC calls upon every family around the world to say a prayer for the victims of the Holodomor and light a candle of remembrance in the window of their home.
May that candle burn forever bright as a beacon of the truth that will eternally preserve our memory of the victims of the Holodomor.
Ukraine remembers – the World acknowledges
