Ukrainian community in New Zealand urges government to recognize Holodomor as genocide

Activists from the Ukrainian community in New Zealand have addressed an open letter to Prime Minister Christopher Luxon, urging him to recognize the Holodomor of 1932-1933 as a genocide against the Ukrainian people, as reported by the Mahi For Ukraine organization.

With the Remembrance Day of this heinous crime against humanity approaching in November, “it remains crucial that the New Zealand government acknowledges this atrocity as genocide, as many of our international allies have already done,” the letter states.

The community drew a parallel of the current genocidal war against Ukraine as a continuation of Russian aggression that began during the man-made forced famine that was perpetrated by Soviet dictator Joseph Stalin and his henchmen. The Holodomor, which means “death by starvation,” led to the deaths of millions of Ukrainians.

“The Soviet Union aimed to destroy Ukrainian resistance and prevent the establishment of an independent Ukrainian state,” the letter notes.

The methods currently employed by Russia resemble those used during the Holodomor, and the war poses a significant threat to global food security, as it did in the 1930s.

“Now, more than ever, New Zealand, as a free democratic nation, must take a stand,” the activists said.

Thus, Mahi For Ukraine called on the prime minister to take the necessary steps to recognize the Holodomor as genocide.

“By doing so, New Zealand will join the ranks of nations that have already acknowledged this tragedy for what it truly was – a crime against humanity,” the letter reads.

Recognising all genocides is essential to learning from history and ensuring such atrocities are never repeated, the activists say.

In September, the lower chamber of the Swiss Parliament, the National Council, recognized the Holodomor of 1932-1933 as a genocide against the Ukrainian people.

More than countries have recognized the Holodomor either as an act of genocide or as “a crime of the Stalin regime.”