FOR THE RECORD: UWC statement on Bykivnia (06/26/05)

FOR THE RECORD: UWC statement on Bykivnia

Below is a statment on the mass grave at Bykivnia, Ukraine, that was released on June 8 by the Ukrainian World Congress.

At an extraordinary meeting of the executive board of the Ukrainian World Congress, held on June 4, in Toronto, members of the Executive considered a number of issues before Ukraine. They concluded that one of the important issues concerns Bykivnia and other places of mass graves of victims of the NKVD and Stalinism in general. Bykivnyia is one such place that calls out to the heavens for justice and for a dignified commemoration of the victims of the evil Communist Russian imperial chauvinists, who should answer before history and the Ukrainian nation for their crimes.

On Sunday, May 15, the president of Ukraine, the Honorable Viktor Yushchenko, many members of the Ukrainian government and the Parliament, as well as other high-ranking government officials participated in a requiem to honor the victims buried in Bykivnia.

In his statement at the requiem, President Yushchenko shared with the Ukrainian nation his deepest emotions concerning the tragic events of the Stalinist era. President Yushchenko's moving words make clear to all that Ukraine is on the road to filling in the blank pages in its history. In this regard, the UWC welcomes the call by President Yushchenko at the requiem in the Bykivnia forest on May 15 to establish an Institute of National Remembrance of Ukraine.

This initiative by President Yushchenko is explained in the report published on the official Internet site of the president of Ukraine of May 15. The report which covers, in part, the statement by President Yushchenko at the requiem, notes: "...at the beginning of the 1990s no one knew fully how many people are buried in the Bykivnia forest, and the understanding was that these were victims of Nazism. The truth is, the head of the Ukrainian government emphasized, here are buried victims of Stalinism. I am pleased that, as the years pass, we learn more about the historical truth and that each year more and more people visit this place, each year more and more representatives of the government are present here. I am convinced that buried here are the souls and bodies of the finest people, irrespective of their positions in life. This place is to bring forth new awareness." The president of Ukraine called on all present to join together in the restoration of places of historical importance for Ukraine and assured that, to this end, the government, civic organizations and he personally will be working.

The second most important statement made by President Yushchenko at the requiem in the Bykivnia forest is that the president regards it unacceptable that the October Palace - this historically important place - is being utilized as an amusement park. The October Palace should become a Museum of the Repressed and any initiatives in this regard will be supported by the government, stated the president.

The executive board of the UWC is pleased to note the proposals by President Yushchenko to establish in the city of Kyiv an Institute of National Remembrance of Ukraine and to transform the October Palace into a Museum of the Repressed. The executive board of the UWC welcomes these initiatives of the president of Ukraine, Viktor Yushchenko, and assures the full support and assistance of the Ukrainian diaspora in their realization.

On behalf of the executive board of the UWC:
Askold Lozynskyj, president
Victor Pedenko, secretary

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