www.ukrweekly.com ;?C свОБОДАJLSVOBODA І І і о "в УКРДШСШИИ щоліннмк ^Щ^У UKKAINIAHOAIIV PUBLISHEDrainia BY THE UKRAINIAN NATIONAL ASSOCIATIOnN INC . A FRATERNAWeekL NON-PROFIT ASSOCIATION l ї Ш Ute 25 cents voi LXXXVIII No. 45 THE UKRAINIAN WEEKLY SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 8, i98i Reagan administration Five years later announces appointment for rights post The Ukrainian Helsinki Group: WASHINGTON - After months of the struggle continues delay, the Reagan administration an– nounced on October 30 that it is no– When the leaders of 35 states gathered in Helsinki in minating Elliot Abrams, a neo-conser– August 1975 signed the Final Act of the Conference on vative Democrat and former Senate Security and Cooperation in Europe, few could aide, to be assistant secretary of state for have foreseen the impact the agreement would have in human rights and humanitarian affairs, the Soviet Union. While the accords granted the Soviets reported The New York Times. de jure recognition of post-World War ll boundaries, they The 33-year-old lawyer, who pre– also extracted some acquiescence to provisions viously worked as special counsel to guaranteeing human rights and freedom, guarantees Sen. Henry Jackson of Washington and that already existed in the Soviet Constitution and Sen. Daniel Patrick Moynihan of New countless international covenants. York, joined the administration last At the time, the human-rights provisions seemed January as assistant secretary of state unenforceable, a mere formality, a peripheral issue for international organization affairs. agreed to by a regime with no intention of carrying in announcing the nomination, Presi– them through. dent Ronald Reagan stated that hu– But just over one year later, on November 9,1976,10 man-rights considerations are an im– courageous Ukrainian intellectuals in Kiev moat of portant part of foreign policy, the Times them former political prisoners, formed the Ukrainian said. Public Group to Promote the implementation of the Mr. Abrams has endorsed annual Helsinki Accords to pressure the Soviet authorities Congressional reports on human-rights into living up to their end of the bargain. The original around the globe, and said public members were Oles Berdnyk, Gen. Petro Grigorenko, criticism of abuses by friendly govem– lvan Kandyba, Lev Lukianenko, Oksana Meshko, ments were part of "the arsenal of Mykola Matusevych, Myroslav Marynovych, Mykola fighting for human rights." He also said Rudenko, Nina Strokata and Oleksiy Tykhy. he would not rule out the imposition of Now, on the fifth anniversary of the formation of the economic sanctions against countries group, all 10 original founding members are either in engaged in gross violations of indivi– labor camps or have been expelled from the country. dual rights. Mr. Berdnyk is in his second year of a six-year labor Of the Soviet Union, Mr. Abrams camp term to be followed by three years' internal exile; said that Moscow "does not care about Mr. Kandyba was arrested on March 24 on unknown human rights," the Times reported". charges; Mr. Rudenko is in hie forth year of a seven- Mr. Abrams' nomination follows year strict-regimen term, which will be followed by five months of speculation and rumors that years' internal exile; Mr. Lukianenko, sentenced in perhaps the administration would 1978 to 10 years in a special regimen camp and five phase out the post or the bureau itself. years' internal exile; Ms. Meshko, sentenced this year Democratic critics and ardent sup- to six months in a strict-regimen camp and five years' porters of human rights accused the internal exile; Mr. Matusevych, serving his third year of administration of giving human rights a a seven-year term to be followed by five years'internal low priority, particularly after the exile; Mr. Marynovych, sentenced in 1978 to seven president balked at naming a successor years' imprisonment and five years'internal exile; Mr. to Ernest Lefever, his first choice for the Tykhy, serving the fourth year of a 10-year sentence top post, who was forced to withdraw in a special-regimen camp to be followed by five years' last June in the face of staunch Senate internal exile. opposition. Gen. Grigorenko and Dr. Strokata were ultimately Their anxiety was further aroused on thrown out of the USSR and now live in the West. September 28 when Deputy Secretary Other members of the group, many of them, like of State William Clark, meeting with Yuriy Shukhevych, having joined while already in human-rights activists, announced that prison, are serving long sentences or are in exile. Only the State Department was undertaking one member, Stefania Shabatura, remains "free," but a reorganization study that could she is reportedly under constant police surveillance. involve a change in the name and For these brave men and women, the Helsinki function of the human-rights bureau. Accords are more than just another juridical base on which to build their demands for national and human He also announced at the time that no rights. They offer the hope of a sovereign Ukraine and effort would be made to fill the human- peace among nations enhanced by free contacts rights post until the study was com– between peoples and the free exchange of information pleted, leading many human-rights and ideas. For these rights, the Ukrainian Helsinki lobbyists to question the administra– monitors in the Soviet Union continue to suffer the tion's commitment in this field. terrible ordeals of official retribution and deprivation. The nomination of Mr. Abrams, an But as the group's Memorandum No. 1 made clear: outspoken advocate of balanced hu– Oleksiy Tykhy "The struggle for human rights will not cease man-rights policy, follows a memoran– (photo not available) dum issued by the State Department on until these rights become the everyday standard October 27 which implies even-handed Mykola Matusevych in social life." (Continued on page 2) 2 THE UKRAINIAN WEEKLY SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 8, i98i No. 45 Special order of the House Mykola Plakhotniuk arrested NEW YORK - Mykola Plakhot– wjll honor Helsinki group niuk, a physician long active in the Ukrainian human-rights movement, „ '"'PHlLAT"ELPHlA - The fifth anni– Members of the Philadelphia com– versary of the founding of the Ukrainian mittee have said that they will be going was arrested in Kiev on September 6, Public Group to Promote the imple– to Washington to urge elected officials reported the press service of the Ukrai– mentation of the Helsinki Accords will to participate in the special order. The nian Supreme Liberation Council be cjbserved in Washington on Tuesday. Smoloskyp Ukrainian information (abroad). - fitovember !7, with a demonstration Service has said that it would send The reason for his arrest is unknown. 'outside the Soviet Embassy, a special updates on the Ukrainian Helsinki Dr. Plakhotniuk was born in 1936 order of the House of Representatives Group to all members of Congress. and has been suffering from tubercu– and a reception at the Capitol. losis since childhood. A reception for members of Congress He was first arrested on January 13, The Philadelphia Ukrainian Human and invited guests will take place 1972, during the mass arrests of the Rights Committee is organizing the immediately after the special order, at 6 Ukrainian intelligentsia. He was charged demonstration at the embassy at 3 p.m. p.m., in the Capitol. The reception will with "anti-Soviet agitation and propa– Buses will depart from the Ukrainian be sponsored by the Philadelphia com– ganda" (Article 62 of the Criminal Code Educational and Cultural Center in mittee and the Ad Hoc Congressional of the Ukrainian SSR), and was sen– Abington, Pa., at 11 a.m. Committee on the Baltic States and tenced to undergo psychiatric "treat– Ukraine. ment." For further information about the Until his release on December 10, A special order of the House of day's events, interested persons may call 1980, he was confined in psykhushkas in Representatives will be sponsored by representatives of the Philadelphia Dnipropetrovske and Kazan, among Mykola Plakhotniuk Rep. Charles Dougherty (R-Pa.), the Ukrainian Human Rights Committee, other locations. assailants attacked him on a Kiev street. founder and co-chairman of the Ad Hoc Ulana Mazurkevich at (215) 782-1019 The Soviet authorities continued to He was not allowed to live in Kiev and Committee on the Baltic States and or Chrystia Senyk at (212) 493-1692. persecute Dr. Plakhotniuk even after was told by authorities to move to the Ukraine. The Philadelphia Human his release. On April 8, unknown Cherkaske oblast. Rights Committee, which has been in The committee has urged all Ukrai– touch with Rep. Dougherty's office, nian human-rights committees to con- reported that the special order will take tact their congressmen and urge them to place after the regular order of the day participate in the fifth anniversary Re: Soviet invasion of Hungary in the House at 5 p.m. observances. NEW YORK - Freedom House and 5 million tons of ammunition — all marked the 25th anniversary of the 1956 zeroed in on the people of Europe who Although the memorandum goes on invasion of Hungary by the Soviet enjoy political freedom and civil rights." Reagan administration... to say that friendly but repressive regimes Union, calling it a "day of disgrace." The statement mentioned recent should not be inadvertantly pushed into "Soviet tanks and troops invaded demonstrations in West Germany and (Continued from page 1) a "worse one....with a Communist Hungary on November 4 to put down France opposing nuclear weapons in criticism of rights violations in all Politburo," the suggestion of a more its people's bid for human rights and those countries. The statement observ– nations, including those friendly to the balanced approach to human-rights political independence," the organiza– ed that there was no mention in these United States.