The Ukrainian Weekly 1988
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1 Ц Published by the Ukrainian National Association Inc.c.. a fraUrnal non-profit association! rainian Ш У 50 cents Vol. LVI No. 31 THE UKRAINIAN WEEKLY SUNDAY, JULY 31, 1988 Oksana Meshko arrives in U.S. Officials begin Criminal proceedings ^. ^, ^ , - Mr. LocuschLogusch,. and was greetecreeled byv the - i i ii . ? . " JL?. ^ ^A^ !!-^ I - -?- - by Chrystyna N. Lapychak whole Logusch family, exiled dissidents against Ukrainian activists in Lviv and Ukrainian community activists at NEWARK, N.J. - Oksana Yakivna the Lviv city prosecutor's office re Meshko, the 83-year-old Ukrainian Newark International Airport. by Dr. Нопшп Solchanyk A founding member of the Ukrai ferring to "numerous angry letters and human rights activist and two-time appeals from the citizenry" demanding political prisoner from Kiev, arrived nian Helsinki Monitoring Group, Ms. MUNICH - News has reached the Meshko ended her long journey here West that authorities in the western that steps be taken to put an end to "the here on July 26 for a monthlong visit activities of these extremists." with her cousin George Logusch and his from Melbourne, Australia, where she Ukrainian city of Lviv have begun The announcement singles out Vya- family of Sussex, N.J., and for a brief spent the last five months receiving criminal proceedings against a group of cheslav Chornovil, the brothers My- reunion with fellow Ukrainian Helsinki medical treatment on her cataract- local activists who have been instru khailo and Bohdan Horyn, Ivan Ma- monitors and activists living in exile in clouded eyes and meeting with the mental in the organization of a Demo kar and Ya. Putko among "others." the United States. Ukrainian community. The gray-haired cratic Front to Promote Perestroika. and spirited defender of human rights is The Lviv dailies Vilna Ukraina and Mr. Chornovil, a former political Ms. Meshko arrived aboard Conti prisoner, is chief editor of the unofficial nental flight No. 54 from San Fran scheduled to return to Kiev on August Lvovskaya Pravda for July 24 are said (Continued on page 2) have published an announcement from journal Ukrainskyi Visnyk (Ukrainian cisco at 9:34 p.m. with the middle-aged Herald), which resumed publication last August. The Horyn brothers are also former political prisoners and have been active in several unofficial groups, including the Inter-National Commit tee in Defense of Political Prisoners. Messrs. Makar and Putko, who are not known to have been involved in dissident activities in the past, have' recently been criticized in the Soviet press for their part in the organization of mass meetings in Lviv. Mr. Chornovil, Mykhailo Horyn, and Ivan Неї, who has been active in movement for the legalization of the Ukrainian Catholic (Uniate) Church, were summoned for "talks" to the Lviv oblast prosecutor's office in December 1987. At that time they were warned to end their "illegal" activities or else face legal charges. The official announcement states that individual citizens, workers' collectives and public organizations in the city of Lviv as well as in the oblast have ^ Chrystyna Lapychak complained that Mr. Chornovil and his OksaniTMeshko' (ccntw) irweicomed at Newark International Airport by (from left) Raisa Rudenko, Pavio colleagues "abused glasnost" during Stokotelny, Petro Ruban, Mykola Rudenko and Nadia Svitlychna. (Continued on page 10) More than 50,000 Ukrainians gathered outside the Druzhba Stadium in Lviv concerning glasnost and perestroika. For more photos, and the stor^^ on Tuesday, June 21, to attend what was scheduled to be a public meeting please see page 9. THE UKRAINIAN WEEKLY SUNDAY, JULY 31, 1988 No. 31 A GLIMPSE OF SOVIET REALITY Mart Niklus released from Perm, triumphantly greeted in Estonia Literaturnaya Gazeta reference to Stus: NEW YORK - Prominent Estonian had received worldwide attention. He nationalist and human rights activist was championed by Amnesty Interna another step towards his rehabilitation? Man Niklus arrived in the Estonian tional, the American Association for capital, Tallinn on July 13 after his early the Advancement of Science, Interna by Marusia Drohobycky include poets Ivan Drach and Dmytro release from Perm Camp 35. Mr. tional PEN Clubs, and other groups Pavlychko — leading contemporary Niklus, who was extremely moved by active in human rights issues. In a surprise development, the name Soviet Ukrainian literary figures. Com the sight of formerly forbidden blue, The Reagan Administration as well of Ukrainian poet Vasyl Stus, who died menting on the issue at a recent literary black and white flags of Estonian inde as many members of the U.S. Congress in a labor camp three years ago, ap evening at Rutgers University, (Newark, pendence flying freely in his hometown have taken an active interest in his case. peared recently in one of the Soviet N.J.), Mr. Drach gave the following of Tartu, was greeted by hundreds of His case was raised at Helsinki Accords Union's leading newspapers, Litera response: well-wishers and members of the Esto follow-up meetings, in Captive Nations turnaya Gazeta. Emphasizing that the "As far as we are concerned, I and nian resistance. proclamations, and on other occasions. writings of many important Ukrainian several others in our Secretariat of the From Tartu, Mr. Niklus was taken by Rep. Constance Morella (R-Md.) intellectuals and scholars have yet to be [Ukrainian] Writers' Union, including automobile to Tallinn that afternoon, "adopted" Mr. Niklus as one of her published, journalist Yaroslav Melnyk Dmytro Pavlychko, secretary of the where he addressed a rally of several special prisoners of conscience. In included Stus's name among some of Union, and First Secretary Yuriy thousand people, reported the New September 1984, most of the U.S. the major figures in Ukrainian litera Mushketyk, support the publication of York-based Estonian American Na Congress sent birthday greetings to Mr. ture and scholarship who are still his poems, first in journals and later, tional Council. Niklus, who was forced to spend his effectively proscribed today. after solving the problems, in a collec Rumors of Mr. Niklus' release had 50th birthday in solitary confinement in The significance of this development tion." been circulating since early June; how notorious camp No. 36. Earlier, in 1981, is not altogether clear; nevertheless, it In addition, dissidents writers such as ever, in a telephone interview with Congress passed Concurrent Resolu appears to be yet another move in the Vyacheslav Chornovil, Yevhen Sver- Radio Free Europe, Mr. Niklus said he tion 218 on Mr. Niklus' behalf current push for the poet's rehabilita stiuk, and Ivan Svitlichny, all of whom had first found out about the decision to This year, the Estonian Group for the tion. This is particularly important, were Mr. Stus's colleagues and mem release him on July 2 when, while still in Disclosure of the Molotov-Ribbentrop since Mr. Stus is considered to have bers of the Ukrainian literary move the labor camp, he read the news in the Pact (MRP-AEG) sent a pre-summit been an outstanding talent who, accord ment of the 1960s called the Shesty- Estonian Community Party daily. message to the West, describing Mr. ing to his colleagues, dutifully assumed desiatnyky, have appealed to the En On July 7, he read a second report Niklus and fellow Estonian human and the role of defender of human and glish section of International PEN for quoting an Estonian Interior Ministry national rights activist Enn Tarto as national rights. assistance in obtaining the release of official as saying he had already been "hostages of Soviet foreign policy" who He died in September, 1985, after those of Mr. Stus' literary works that released. He immediately began a were "buried alive" in the gulag. twice being sentenced to long prison were confiscated by the KGB and in hunger strike and was finally released The MRP-AEG communique ex terms in the notorious special-regimen securing the return of his remains for the following day, July 8. plained that Messrs. Niklus and Tarto labor camp No. 36 in the Perm region, burial in Ukraine. Before his return to Estonia, Mr. are "the tangible criteria for the evalua where he suffered from serious illnesses PEN is an international writers' Niklus spent a few days in Moscow tion of the seriousness of perestroika for that went untreated by camp officials. organization dedicated to supporting where he met with his friend and the Estonian people." As noted by the Appeals from the West, particularly persecuted authors. The aforemention mentor, Andrei Sakharov, and with MRP-AEG, because Messrs. Niklus from three prominent West German ed writers, former political prisoners other dissidents. His return to Estonia and Tarto "have spent their lives daring authors — Heinrich Boell, Siegfried themselves, are honorary members of was covered by Estonian radio and TV. to stand openly, boldly and peacefully Lenz, and Hans-Werner Richter - in the organization. Radio Tallinn is said to have denounced for their unwavering beliefs," they are December 1984, to General Secretary So far, despite the campaign for Mr. Niklus' imprisonment, saying he very important moral symbols for Konstantin Chernenko and Prime glasnost and democratization under had been punished without cause. Estonians in Soviet-occupied Estonia Minister Nikolai Tikhonov, to show General Secretary Mikhail Gorbachev, Mr. Niklus had served seven years of and in the free world. "mercy and magnanimity" for the Soviet authorities have not been respon a 10-year sentence in a special-regime Placards demanding the release of the "internationally renowned" poet went sive on issues of concern to Ukrainian Soviet labor camp which was to be two men have been seen in Estonia, unheeded. intellectuals. followed by five years' exile for including at the August 23, 1987, mass As a result of Stus's maltreatment Members of the UCC have faced "anti-Soviet agitation and propa rally and even in the official May Day and the circumstances surrounding his strong criticism from the editors of the ganda." Mr.