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The Ukrainian Weekly, 2016

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The Ukrainian Weekly, 2016 INSIDE: l Human rights developments in Ukraine – page 4 l Community: Wethersfield, Boston, New York and more – pages 10-11 l First full concert of Women’s Bandura Ensemble – page 13 THEPublished U by theKRAINIAN Ukrainian National Association Inc., a fraternal W non-profit associationEEKLY Vol. LXXXIV No. 17 THE UKRAINIAN WEEKLY SUNDAY, APRIL 24, 2016 $2.00 Russia suspends Crimean Tatar Failed vote in Rada on top prosecutor Mejlis for ‘extremist activities’ calls into question parliamentary coalition law. If voting won’t be unified, we will con- by Zenon Zawada sistently have this problem.” KYIV – Ukrainian President Petro The main changes to the law on the Poroshenko confidently declared this week procurator general proposed in the reject- that Ukraine’s political crisis is over after ed legislation include removing the require- the new Cabinet was elected on April 14. ment that the candidate have a law degree, Yet the voting in the Verkhovna Rada at as well as 10 years of work in a legal profes- the April 21 session proved otherwise. sion. Rada Chair Andriy Parubiy asked nation- Mr. Lutsenko falls short on both criteria. al deputies to vote to include on the daily His most relevant work experience is his agenda a bill that would relax requirements two years as internal affairs minister, when for the procurator general, aimed at he led Ukraine’s police force and intro- enabling Yuriy Lutsenko, the current head duced minimal reforms, while corruption of the Petro Poroshenko Bloc faction, to thrived. become the president’s nominee. Mr. Poroshenko is lobbying Mr. Despite noting that the president consid- Lutsenko’s candidacy because he needs ered the bill’s approval “urgent,” Mr. someone he can trust and influence, Parubiy could muster only 177 out of the experts said, and at the same time someone who is acceptable to the West. Ukraine Crisis Media Center needed 226 votes in favor. When Mr. Poroshenko visited Refat Chubarov, chairman of the Crimean Tatar Mejlis, who has been barred from The failure not only threatened the pres- entering Crimea by the occupying Russian authorities, who have now suspended the ident’s planned nomination of Mr. Washington at the beginning of the month, activity of the Mejlis. He is seen above speaking on April 21 at the Ukraine Crisis Lutsenko, but also called into question U.S. Vice-President Joe Biden told the presi- Media Center in Kyiv. whether a parliamentary coalition exists at dent that $1 billion in U.S. loan guarantees all, particularly after the questionable depend on his nomination of an indepen- Amnesty International said the decision RFE/RL means that were used to form it. dent procurator general committed to signals a new wave of repression against “There’s friction so far between the dif- reforms. The Russian Justice Ministry has sus- Crimean Tatars. ferent political groups in the coalition,” said These sentiments were echoed on April pended the Crimean Tatars’ highest ruling “Anyone associated with the Mejlis could body due to what it called “extremist activi- Sergiy Taran, the director of the International 16 by International Monetary Fund now face serious charges of extremism as a ties,” marking a fresh escalation in Institute of Democracy in Kyiv. “There isn’t Managing Director Christine Lagarde, who result of this ban, which is aimed at snuff- Moscow’s crackdown against a group that any agreement on voting and they’re still has broadly opposed Russia’s forcible (Continued on page 8) agreeing on the new procurator general (Continued on page 8) annexation of Ukraine’s Crimean Peninsula. The ministry said in an April 18 state- ment that the Mejlis, the self-governing Crimean Tatar body legalized by the Ukrainian government in 1999, had been Holodomor featured in Boston Walk Against Genocide included in a federal list of civic and reli- gious organizations suspended due to by Paul Thomas Rabchenuk alleged extremism. BOSTON – The Ukrainian Famine- Tatars make up around 12 percent of Genocide of 1932-1933 was prominently Crimea’s population of 2.5 million. Many featured in Boston’s third annual Walk fled the Black Sea peninsula after its mili- Against Genocide held on April 10. The tary seizure by Russia in March 2014. walk, organized annually by the Others who remained have complained of Massachusetts Coalition to Save Darfur harassment or even disappearances under and sponsored by 12 Boston organiza- the Moscow-backed authorities there. tions involved in genocide awareness and International rights groups and Western education, selected the Ukrainian governments have issued searing criticism Holodomor for prominent recognition. of Russia’s treatment of the Turkic-speaking Other genocides represented included Muslim group since the annexation. the Holocaust and those in Cambodia, The ministry’s action now prohibits the Rwanda, Bosnia, Armenia, Congo and Mejlis from using state-owned media, hold- Sudan, as well as the genocide committed ing public gatherings, participating in elec- against the Kurds. tions, and using bank accounts for anything Following presentations by Holocaust other than paying off taxes, debts or other and Holodomor representatives at the financial penalties. Boston Holocaust Memorial, the march The ministry said the move was based proceeded to the Armenian Heritage Park on an April 13 order by Crimea’s Moscow- on the Rose Kennedy Greenway, where Duane Walzer backed prosecutor, Natalya Poklonskaya, to additional presentations took place. suspend the council. The audience, consisting of activists A somber and respectful audience listens to details about the Holodomor as described by Paul Thomas Rabchenuk, Boston Holodomor Committee chairman. Ukraine’s Foreign Affairs Ministry called and the general public, was somber and Ms. Poklonskaya’s order “a violation of fun- Conferring to the left of the speaker are Roger Brooks of “Facing History and Ourselves” and Eric Cohen, chairman of the Massachusetts Coalition to Save damental rights and freedoms on the pen- (Continued on page 15) insula,” while international rights watchdog Darfur and the walk’s organizer. 2 THE UKRAINIAN WEEKLY SUNDAY, APRIL 24, 2016 No. 17 ANALYSIS Putin’s new praetorian guard Savchenko calls off hunger strike Canadian MP speaks out for Savchenko KYIV – Nadiya Savchenko, whom Russia OTTAWA – Member of Parliament Borys by Pavel Felgenhauer he became commander of the interior has imprisoned on charges of complicity in Wrzesnewskyj (Etobicoke Center, Ontario) troops. Plans to create a National Guard in Eurasia Daily Monitor the killings of two Russian journalists, has on April 19 delivered a statement on the Russia, based on the interior troops, have stopped her hunger strike. Ukrainian floor of Canada’s House of Commons call- On April 6, without prior warning or any reportedly circulated in the Kremlin in pre- President Petro Poroshenko wrote on ing on the Russian government to release meaningful public debate, President vious years. Gen. Zolotov – a professional Twitter on April 19 that Savchenko “had Nadiya Savchenko to Ukraine. Mr. Vladimir Putin announced a massive over- bodyguard, whom Putin apparently consid- agreed” to stop the hunger strike after talk- Wrzesnewskyj said: “Nadiya Savchenko, haul of security, public order and law ers absolutely loyal – was clearly being ing to her by phone. Ms. Savchenko, 34, has Ukraine’s first female fighter pilot, was cap- enforcement in Russia by creating a special groomed to become the commander of the tured and kidnapped out of Ukraine during new internal army. Formed immediately by new joint security force (Kommersant, refused to consume water and food since Russia’s military invasion. … She is a duly presidential order (ukaz), the new “National April 5). April 6, demanding her immediate release. elected Ukrainian member of Parliament Guard” will be based on the existing Internal In an apparent move to compensate the Earlier on April 19, Mr. Poroshenko said and a member of the Parliamentary Affairs Ministry Troops – a 200,000-strong Internal Affairs Ministry, Mr. Putin Kyiv and Moscow had agreed on a possible armed force with mechanized motor-rifle announced that the anti-narcotics service, framework to free the former military pilot. Assembly of the Council of Europe. The brigades and divisions, special troops and an the Federal Drug Control Service (FSKN), Mr. Poroshenko said that “it seemed” he attempt to break Ukraine’s spirit through air force, previously subordinated to the and the Federal Migration Service (FMS), and his Russian counterpart, Vladimir the farce of a trial of Ukraine’s Joan of Arc Internal Affairs Ministry, which is in charge which controls foreigners on Russian terri- Putin, had agreed in a telephone call the has in fact strengthened her resolve. As she of Russia’s police forces. tory, will be merged with the Ministry of day before on a formula that will allow Ms. stated at the conclusion of her show trial The National Guard will include not only Internal Affairs. Bribes from illegal immi- Savchenko to be returned. The comments which sentenced her to 22 years: ‘Russia the interior troops that are mostly manned grants and narcotraders make the FSKN came a day after a Ukrainian court sen- will return me to Ukraine…dead or alive,’ by conscript soldiers, but also special para- and FMS prime illegal moneymakers within tenced two Russian citizens to 14 years in and declared a hunger strike. She is close to military police units known as OMON and Russian law enforcement. Both the FSKN prison each on charges of fighting along- death, another in the long list of victims of SOBR, as well as the interdepartmental gov- and FMS will be transformed into director- side Russia-backed separatists in eastern Putin’s regime. I call on our Parliament to ernment security guard service (Vnevedom- ates within the Internal Affairs Ministry; Ukraine. Shortly after the sentencing of show our support for Nadiya and demand stvenaya Okhrana).
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