January 4, 2011
PRESS RELEASE
THE UKRAINIAN WORLD CONGRESS CALLS UPON THE INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY, UKRAINE AND UWC MEMBER ORGANIZATIONS TO DEFEND THE HUMAN AND NATIONAL MINORITY RIGHTS OF UKRAINIANS IN RUSSIA
On January 4, 2011 the Ukrainian World Congress (UWC) sent Executive Summaries regarding the pressure exerted on the Ukrainian national minority in Russia to the:
(a) UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Navanethem Pillay;
(b) OSCE Director of the Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights Janez Lenarcic;
(c) OSCE High Commissioner on National Minorities Knut Vollebaek;
(d) Chair of the European Parliament Subcommittee on Human Rights Heidi Hautala;
(e) Chair of the European Parliament Delegation to the EU-Russia Parliamentary Cooperation Committee Knut Fleckenstein;
(f) Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights Thomas Hammarberg; and
(g) President of the Council of Europe Advisory Committee on the Framework Convention for the Protection of National Minorities Rainer Hofmann.
The UWC Summaries focused on issues relevant to Ukrainians worldwide regarding the attempts by Russian authorities to liquidate the two most prominent Ukrainian NGOs in the Russian Federation, the Federal National Cultural Autonomy of Ukrainians in Russia and the Union of Ukrainians in Russia, and to halt the operations of the Library of Ukrainian Literature in Moscow. The Executive
Summaries are available in full on the UWC web site:
https://www.ukrainianworldcongress.org/news.php/news/457
https://www.ukrainianworldcongress.org/news.php/news/458
Copies of the Summaries were also sent by UWC to Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych and the Ambassador of Ukraine to Russia Volodymyr Yelchenko with letters calling upon Ukraine to protect its national minority.
“The Ukrainian World Congress calls upon the international community, Ukraine and UWC member organizations to react to Russia’s unacceptable actions with respect to the Ukrainian national minority and defend its human and national minority rights,” stated UWC President Eugene Czolij.
Ukrainian World Congress
145 Evans Ave., Suite #207
Toronto, ON
M8Z 5X8 Canada
website: www.ukrainianworldcongress.org
