On November 23, the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine witnessed the sitting on the 85th anniversary of the 1932-33 Holodomor – the horrific tragedy and genocide of the Ukrainian people
The solemn meeting was opened by the Chairman of the Parliament Andriy Parubiy.
The sitting was attended by the first President of Ukraine Leonid Kravchuk, Ukrainian parliamentarians, members of the Cabinet of Ministers, the Ukrainian Parliament Commissioner for Human Rights Liudmyla Denisova, primates of churches and religious associations of Ukraine, representatives of foreign governments and parliaments as well as representatives of diplomatic corps and public organizations.
The event commenced with a demonstration of a thematic video about the Holodomor.
The Speaker of the Verkhovna Rada Andriy Parubiy delivered a speech on the topic.
In particular, the Chairman reminded:
“During the last millennium, our land and our people have suffered many disasters from various conquerors and oppressors, but throughout the thousand-year history, the greatest tragedy for the Ukrainian nation has been the Holodomor 1932-33 planned and implemented by the bloodthirsty Soviet authorities".
He then stressed: “According to the Holodomor masterminds, the physical destruction of a mass of the people, as well as the mental changes in the nature of Ukrainians as a result of the indiscriminate suffering, should have trampled down the freedom-loving spirit of Ukrainianity, held it in the territorial boundaries of the empire and in the spiritual lockup of the Russian world”.
Afterwards, the politician delivered an ample excursus to the history of the Holodomor 1932-33 and the aftermath of the tragedy.
He then expressed a special gratitude to the bodies of the Ukrainian diaspora who had broken the walls of deliberate concealment, lies and disregard, and provided broad publicity upon the topic of the Holodomor on a worldwide scale.
A.Parubiy thanked as well the parliaments and governments of all the countries that have officially recognized the Holodomor of 1932-1933 as genocide of the Ukrainian people.
"Our implacable foes, they all have failed to demolish Ukraine! Despite millions of victims, the people of Ukraine have found the will and power to revive and escape from the Russian yoke," stressed the head of the Ukrainian Verkhovna Rada.
However, according to him, "today, as well as 85 years ago, the same enemy - an imperial backward and through its complexes deadly Russia – stands against us anew. And the enemy is craving not only for physical killing Ukrainians at the frontline, but - above all - trying to destroy the Ukrainian spirit, the Ukrainian Church, the Ukrainian language".
A.Parubiy expressed his confidence that Ukrainians would never allow anyone to destroy and scorn them any more.
Upon completion of his speech, the Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada announced a minute's silence.
His Holiness, the Patriarch of Kyiv and All Rus-Ukraine Filaret delivered a speech to those present, having stated he now spoke not only as the head of the Kyiv Patriarchate Church, but as one of the last eyewitnesses of the Holodomor alive.
After His Holiness Filaret, the chamber heard an infelt speech given by Major Archbishop of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church, Kyiv-Galicia, His Beatitude Sviatoslav Shevchuk. According to him, the war of the Russian empire against the Ukrainian people continues today. Therefore, the truth about the Holodomor as an act of genocide against the Ukrainian people plays a special role that must be lime-lighted.
The chamber was also addressed by the director of the Ukrainian Institute of National Remembrance Volodymyr Viatrovych, who said “they, the foes, all have failed to demolish Ukraine” and called on to remember the Holodomor’s victims.
A Deputy Chairperson of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine Oksana Syroid gave the floor to representatives of parliaments and governments of the world which had been invited. All of them expressed support to the people of Ukraine, stating that "crimes against humanity have no limitation period and should be punished". There was a call to remember this terrible tragedy as well.
Afterwards, there was delivered a speech by the Ukrainian World Congress (UWC) Secretary General and Chair of the UWC International Holodomor Coordinating Committee Stefan Romaniw. He spoke about the contribution of the Ukrainian diaspora to the recognition of the Holodomor in Ukraine as genocide. S.Romaniw assured that this work would be continued.
The 1932-33 Holodomor sitting then also saw the head of the Committee on Culture and Spirituality Mykola Kniazhytskyi, who said “It is not too late to protest against the Bolshevik terror. Europe ought to make up for what it has maliciously neglected. When protesting against Hitler's dictatorship, they had to protest against Stalin's dictatorship as well”. He then added “even nowadays in Europe there are lots of forces trying to justify the Russian aggression and Russian crimes. Those who justify the current Kremlin's policy do lead Europe to a new tragedy”.
In her turn, Hanna Hopko, the head of the Committee on Foreign Affairs, thanked everyone who came today from different parts of the world to honour the memory of those innocent victims of the Holodomor famine. She also expressed gratitude to those who had helped Ukraine in those horrific days.
The participants also witnessed the address of Hryhorii Nemyria, the head of the Committee on Human Rights, National Minorities and Interethnic Relations. He urged not only to remember the Holodomor as an act of genocide against the Ukrainian people, but also to bring this bitter truth to everyone in Ukraine and abroad.
Ivan Vasiunyk, a co-chair of the Public Committee for honoring the victims of the famine-genocide in Ukraine in 1932-1933, emphasized in his speech that recognition of the Holodomor of 1932-33 in Ukraine as genocide and the restoration of memory about it had become the mere win-through over fear. He stressed the need to continue the work over the Memory Book in order to perpetuate the memory of over seven million Ukrainians succumbed in those years.
The Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine Andriy Parubiy thanked everyone who participated in the meeting devoted to the memory of the Holodomor victims of 1932-1933 in Ukraine.
"This tragedy has been once for all etched in the memory of history, and we must learn the tragic lessons so that they will never happen again," said the Chairman of the Parliament.
Andriy Parubiy closed the solemn parliamentary sitting dedicated to the 85th anniversary of the 1932-1933 Holodomor in Ukraine.