On 22 November 2014, International Holodomor Memorial Day, Ukrainians in Ukraine and throughout the world will remember the victims of the Ukrainian genocide – the Holodomor of 1932-33, the most extensive and heinous crime of the totalitarian Soviet regime against Ukraine and the Ukrainian nation.
81 years ago, in an attempt to subdue our nation and destroy its national spirit, Soviet authorities brutally eliminated millions of innocent Ukrainians causing irreparable harm to the social fabric of Ukraine’s society, its spiritual culture and ethnic identity.
In 2014, as the Ukrainian people face the brutal and unrelenting aggression of the Russian Federation, they continue to suffer the consequences of Stalin’s actions. Today, we are witnessing Ukraine’s sovereignty being undermined, the nation’s European aspirations being thwarted and Russia’s expansionist ambitions being supported.
We say that we must learn from the mistakes of history. 81 years ago there was no one to speak because the truth was calculatingly suppressed. Today, we can, and must ensure that the truth is known.
Honouring the memory of the Holodomor’s victims, the 20 million strong Ukrainian diaspora, led by the Ukrainian World Congress (UWC), continues its persistent efforts to raise international awareness of the Holodomor in Ukraine, including recognition by all governments and the United Nations of the Holodomor as an act of genocide. The UWC acknowledges the national governing authorities of Australia, Canada, Colombia, Ecuador, Estonia, Georgia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Mexico, Paraguay, Peru, Poland, the United States and the Vatican, who joined Ukraine, in recognizing the Holodomor of 1932-33 as a genocide against the Ukrainian people.
The UWC calls upon the international community to remember this tragic historical event and mark the 81st anniversary with memorial services, community vigils and other commemorative events.
On Saturday, 22 November 2014, 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.
Holodomor survivor Semen Rak wrote: “Those who were untouched by this tragedy do not understand us. But they need to understand us. So that our memory of the victims remains eternal. Only then will we not be simply people or a population, but a nation.”
Our memory of the victims of the Holodomor is eternal and we stand in solidarity as one nation.
Ukraine remembers – the world acknowledges!
