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Ukrainian Canadian Civil Liberties Association
National Day of Remembrance in Ukraine
December 21, 1998
The Ukrainian Canadian community has welcomed the Government of Ukraine's
recent announcement that, henceforth, every fourth Saturday of November will
be set aside for a NATIONAL DAY OF REMEMBRANCE OF FAMINE VICTIMS. Between
1932-1933, millions of Ukrainians were starved to death by the Stalinist
regime, in what remains one of Europe's least known but greatest acts of
genocide. This politically engineered famine, which was denied by Soviet
officials at the time and thereafter, took the lives of well over 7 million
Ukrainians. Despite the fact that many Western governments knew what was
happening in Ukraine they, and supporters of the Soviet regime, deliberately
covered up this crime against humanity. To this day, Famine deniers remain
active in some circles in North America and western Europe.
At a commemorative event held recently in the KYIV Philharmonic Hall,
Ukraine's Vice Prime Minister, the Honourable VALERII SMOLII, recalled how
"Ukrainians abroad consistently...felt it a matter of honour and national
dignity to let the world community know the truth about this unparalleled
Stalinist crime. They put together titanic efforts so that all would
realize --- the Ukrainian Famine of 1933 stands on the level of the Armenian
genocide and the Jewish Holocaust."
Commenting, the chairman of the UKRAINIAN CANADIAN CIVIL LIBERTIES
ASSOCIATION, Mr John B Gregorovich, said: " We welcome the Government of
Ukraine's official recognition of this genocide, which was probably the
single-greatest crime against humanity perpetrated in 20th century Europe.
We now call up the Government of Ukraine to do whatever still can be done to
bring those responsible for this atrocity to justice. Regrettably, many of
those who were Stalin's willing executioners remain unpunished for their
crimes, living in Ukraine and abroad. The Government of Ukraine should bring
those who remain in Ukraine to justice and should apply to various foreign
countries for the extradition of all who willingly served Stalin and thus
participated in the mass murder of millions of Ukraine's people. Certainly
some of these communist war criminals are still alive, hiding in North
America, Israel, western Europe and Russia."
Ukrainian Canadian Civil Liberties Association
tel: (519) 323-9349, e-mail: uccla@infoukes.com
website: www.infoukes.com/uccla/
http://www.uccla.ca/pressreleases/fam-gen/press02.html
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