The Ukrainian Weekly 2005, No.30
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www.ukrweekly.com INSIDE:• Controversial video game targets Halychyna and its people — page 3. • Trends in contemporary migration from Ukraine — page 9. • Summer reading: two debut novels by Ukrainian authors — page 13. Published by the Ukrainian National Association Inc., a fraternal non-profit association Vol. LXXIII HE KRAINIANNo. 30 THE UKRAINIAN WEEKLY SUNDAY, JULY 24, 2005 EEKLY$1/$2 in Ukraine Two TUkrainian womenU among 32 journalists Luhansk researcherW is determined honored in Washington by National Press Club to record Famine survivors’ accounts by Zenon Zawada “When we visited northern Luhansk Kyiv Press Bureau Oblast, they told of horrific things,” Ms. Mahrytska said. “Entire villages died out, DONETSK – It was during her work people were swollen and starving, chil- on a folklore project in the rural Luhansk dren were dying, dead people were lying Oblast that Iryna Mahrytska began on the road and people didn’t even have encountering survivors of the Holodomor, the strength to bury them.” the Great Famine of 1932-1933. Ms. Mahrytska’s initiative is a rare Though her class had focused on doc- example of those Ukrainians determined umenting the customs, rituals, history to record the few remaining first-hand and songs of Luhansk villagers, accounts of the genocidal Famine. inevitably the subject of the Holodomor Survivors who can recall memories of came up with the oldest residents. the political catastrophe must be at least “When we listened to their stories, we 77 years old, or born in 1928, and there couldn’t hold back our tears,” Ms. are fewer of them with each passing year. Mahrytska said. “These were sad stories First Lady Kateryna Yushchenko has about collectivization and dekurkuliza- said that the Ukraine 3000 Foundation tion, the result of which was the will continue its work on the Ukrainian Holodomor.” (A kurkul was a Soviet Famine-Genocide by sponsoring a mas- term for a wealthy peasant.) sive collection of witness testimonies From these interviews, she compiled similar to Steven Spielberg’s Survivors several articles published in Kyiv maga- of the Shoah Visual History Foundation Yaro Bihun UNIAN zines in 2004. However, she felt it wasn’t (www.vhf.org). Natalia Dmytruk Olena Prytula enough to merely document the accounts However, thus far only a documentary and wanted to do more. film produced by Ukraine’s Tonis by Yaro Bihun “Our president is Yushchenko,” she At the urging of Oleskii Danylo, who Telekanal network is under way as part Special to The Ukrainian Weekly signed. “Don’t believe what they say. led the Yushchenko presidential cam- of the foundation’s “Lessons in History: They are lying.” paign in Luhansk, Ms. Mahrytska and a WASHINGTON – The National Press Famine 1933” project. With neither honoree present at the cameraman organized a 10-day trip to In April, the documentary’s producers Club honored two Ukrainian women at July 18 dinner to receive the award, it visit 65 villages to videotape eyewitness its annual awards dinner here on July 18. was accepted by the press secretary of testimonies. (Continued on page 4) The two – Olena Prytula, who co- the Ukrainian Embassy, Iryna Bezverkha, founded Ukraine’s leading Internet news- for forwarding to the recipients. Chargé paper Ukrayinska Pravda, and Natalia d’Affaires Sergiy Korsunsky read a mes- Yellow Pora blacklist targets regional officials Dmytruk, a sign-language news inter- sage from President Yushchenko for the preter on Ukraine’s UT-1 television net- occasion stressing the importance of an by Yana Sedova the list are now on trial and some have work – were named this year’s interna- independent media for democracy. tional recipients of the prestigious John Kyiv Press Bureau already left their positions, including Ruslan His administration is “resolutely and Bodelan, the former mayor of Odesa. Aubuchon Freedom of the Press Award. consistently” striving to strengthen KYIV – Yellow (Zhovta) Pora has They were among 32 journalists hon- On Pora’s website, there is an applica- democracy and the rule of law in released a second blacklist that focuses on tion with the proposal, “Add your candi- ored with the National Press Club’s 2005 Ukraine, the president said, adding that regional politicians, rectors and business- awards for their work in various aspects date to the blacklist.” ensuring freedom of speech and of the men that continue to hold power in Ukraine. Any citizen or organization can ask of their profession. press “is our immediate and key task.” At a July 18 press conference, Zhovta Ms. Prytula’s fellow co-founder of Zhovta Pora for help in case their rights Mr. Korsunsky also presented the Pora’s political council announced the are violated. An appeal should contain Ukrayinska Pravda, Heorhii Gongadze, president of the National Press Club with new blacklist and said lawbreakers must was murdered five years ago, and secret the relevant articles of the Constitution, an orange scarf, imprinted with the go to jail if justice is to prevail. or those laws broken, as well as any facts tape recordings of conversations in then Orange Revolution motto: “Yushchenko The regional list serves to update the in the matter. President Leonid Kuchma’s office sug- – Tak” (yes). This was the second time in political party’s first blacklist released in “We do not work with anonymous let- gested official complicity in the crime. three months that Ms. Dmytruk was April, with the goal of continuously ters,” Mr. Yusov said. “Only if we can “It took a lot of guts (for her) to con- being honored in Washington. In April, adding names whenever another case of find out the names of accusers will we tinue after his disappearance, in the face Vital Voices Global Partnership, an corruption emerges. accept an appeal.” of very strong pressures from the previ- organization dedicated to increasing the “We continue the process of purifying Next, a special commission of legal ous political regime,” the judges noted in womens’ rights and leadership roles Ukrainian society,” said Yaroslav Poharskyi, experts analyzes the set of facts. their decision. “The online newspaper worldwide, honored her and other a member of Zhovta Pora’s political council. “We cooperate with law-enforcement was for a very long time the main source Ukrainian women for their role in the “Our mission is to hold the Ukrainian gov- organizations and have enough lawyers of non-governmental news and made a Orange Revolution. ernment responsible for its activity.” and economists to offer expertise in every definite contribution to the country’s The domestic winners of the John The main goal of the regional blacklist single case,” said Mykhailo Pushkarenko, democratic turnaround.” Aubuchon Freedom of the Press Award is to gather reliable information about the head of the project. “The 15 members That turnaround, now known world- were Matthew Cooper of Time magazine illegal acts of officials representing all of the political council vote whether to wide as the Orange Revolution, which and Judith Miller of The New York Times, branches of local government. Zhovta put a lawbreaker on the list or not.” gave Ukraine a new administration head- who, when the awards were first Pora claims that it doesn’t want to hunt Pora rejects accusations that it is ed by President Viktor Yushchenko, also announced in early June, were facing pos- anybody, but considers this step “a road chasing allies of the former government put a spotlight on Ms. Dmytruk’s role in sible imprisonment for refusing to reveal sign for law-enforcement bodies.” or trying to usurp the role of law-enforce- the process. While sign-language inter- confidential sources to investigators of the The first blacklist included 20 well- ment authorities. preting the news about the November 21, possible disclosure by White House offi- known political figures and businessmen “Our opponents and people recorded 2004, presidential election results, she cials of the identity of a covert CIA opera- of Ukraine. Many of them were implicat- on the list continually charge that our staged her own silent protest on the state- tive and wife of a critic of the administra- ed in violations during the presidential blacklist is a tool for political repres- run UT-1 TV by signing to her viewers tion’s Iraq war policy. Since then, Mr. elections last year. sion,” Mr.Yusov said. “But none of them not to believe what was being said about Cooper has testified before a grand jury; Andrii Yusov, a Zhovta Pora political a Viktor Yanukovych victory. Ms. Miller has not and is now in detention. council member, claimed that 12 people on (Continued on page 21) 2 THE UKRAINIAN WEEKLY SUNDAY, JULY 24, 2005 No. 30 ANALYSIS NEWSBRIEFS Kyiv’s role in Iraq may make NEWSBRIEFS Yushchenko abolishes traffic police... Narcotics. (RFE/RL Newsline) it vulnerable to terrorist attacks KYIV – President Viktor Yushchenko SBU to examine Melnychenko tapes informed a meeting with the Internal Affairs KYIV – Security Service of Ukraine by Taras Kuzio tial election (see Eurasia Daily Monitor Ministry leadership in Kyiv on July 18 of (SBU) chief Oleksander Turchynov told Eurasia Daily Monitor May 12, 14, 2004) for two reasons. First, his decision to dissolve, effective immedi- journalists in Kyiv on July 20 that the foreign policy in general never became an ately, the ministry’s traffic-patrol depart- SBU will examine recordings made by Ukraine responded to the July 7 terror- election issue. Only 7 percent of ment, which is known in Ukraine under the former presidential bodyguard Mykola ist attacks in London by expanding pre- Ukrainians saw East-West relations as an acronym DAI (State Vehicle Inspection), Melnychenko in the office of former ventive measures to combat potential ter- election issue (Politychnyi Portret Ukrainian media reported.