www.ukrweekly.com Vol LV No. 42 THE UKRAINIAN WEEKLY SUNDAY, OCTOBER 18. 1987 25 cents Task force: U.S. policies must change Former political prisoners form in response to 'Soviet new thinking' new human rights group in Ukraine by Natalia A. Feduschak Mr. Gorbachev's domestic and foreign policies and their implications for East- NEW YORK — The United States West relations. The report, titled "How and its Western allies should "welcome Should America Respond to Gorba­ the reformist tendencies" that General chev's Challenge: A Report of the Task Secretary Mikhail Gorbachev has ini­ Force on Soviet New Thinking," pro­ tiated in the Soviet Union and also poses a series of policy recommenda­ "encourage those which promote a tions and goals that respond to the new moderation of Soviet power," accord­ opportunities presented by the changes ing to a report recently released by a in the Soviet Union. Founding members of the Initiative Group for the Release of Ukrainian Priionert task force of 38 prominent Americans. The task force, which was made up of of Conscience: (from left) Vasyl Bariadianu, Ivan Hel, Mykhailo Horjn, Zorian Meeting regularly for eight months, a bi-partisan panel of academics, jour­ Popaoiuk and Vyacheslav Chornovil. the task force represents the first con­ nalists, businesspeople and others, was certed effort in the United States to by Roman Solchanyk The new group is the first such or­ convened under the auspices of the New ganization set up in Ukraine since the analyze and evaluate the significance of (Continued on page 4) MUNICH — Five former Soviet liquidation of the Ukrainian Helsinki political prisoners have formed an Group in the late 1970s and early 1980s. Rudenkos to travel to West Germany Initiative Group for the Release of The group's statement maintains that the further course of democratization of AsTheHeekfcwas^lngtoccess^ October 14. Ukrainian Prisoners of Conscience in Soviet society is in conflict with the rea­ the External Representation of the USralner ""•—-- -.-/••-•. .._ In mid-May fathe Rtidolkos had lity of the existing political situation: Ukrainian Helsinki Group reported stated that they wished to travel to In a statement dated October 3, the that My kola and R aisa Rudenko had "The release of some prisoners of West Germany for medical treat­ founding members — Vasyl Bariadianu, conscience by pardoning them does not received permission to travel to West ment. It is not known when the Ivan Hel, Mykhailo Horyn, Zorian Germany. remove the reason for their incarcera­ couple will arrive in West Germany. Popadiuk and Vyacheslav Chornovil — tion, and it is a way of shifting the blame The Rudenkda notified Dr. Anna- assert that the existence of prisoners of from people of the'Brezhnev-Andropov Halja Horbatsch of Beerfurtb, a Mr. Rudenko, leader and found­ conscience in the USSR contradicts period to their opponents, who for town near Frankfurt, West Ger­ ing member of the Ukrainian Hel­ international agreements signed by the decades carried on the struggle against many, of the Soviet authorities' sinki Group, and his wife have each Soviet Union, the essence of the Soviet the infringement of national and action. Dr. Horbatsch received the served labor camp and exile terms for Constitution, as welt as "those religious rights of citizens. Support for telegram on Wednesday evening, "anti-Soviet" activities. democratic changes that have been democratization clashes with the initiated in the country." barbed wire of the concentration camps, arouses fear and hesitation. The forces of the toiling aktiv of the country D.C. conference studies Ukrainian image problem could be mobilized by the humane act of releasing prisoners of conscience." by Yaro Bihun, Maria Rudensky useful when it is exercised for a specific The authors appeal to the Soviet and R.L. Cbomiak -utilitarian purpose, namely to expose... government to: inefficiency, ineptitude and corruption • (1) eliminate from the Criminal WASHINGTON — More than 150 at the lowest levels of Soviet bureau­ Code of the Ukrainian SSR and the Ukrainian American community acti­ cracy, where the leadership might other­ criminal codes of other republics the vists from the U.S. and Canada spent wise not be able to identify existing discriminatory articles that have been Columbus Day weekend in Washington problems. used to imprison those who have discussing the problem of how Ukrai­ "What the leadership itself does, struggled for democratization; nians are perceived during the second whether the Soviet troops stay in or • (2) rehabilitate prisoners of annual Leadership Conference spon­ withdraw from Afghanistan, what conscience and compensate them (or sored by the The Washington Group, a weapons systems are built, who should damages; and Ukrainian professionals organization. be elected to the Politburo — none of • (3) return to Ukraine the remains these questions are appropriate subjects The participants also heard a senior of those prisoners of conscience who for public discussion. Glasnost, as you Reagan administration official describe M have died in the camps. can see, has limits. the new Soviet "glasnost" and The statement says that the group will "demokratyzatsiya" policies as falling In this period of glasnost and demo­ provide information about political short of freedom of expression and kratyzatsiya, Ambassador Shifter said, developments in the country, and democratization in the Western under­ "dissenters who constitute danger must announces its readiness to cooperate standing of the terms. indeed be severely punished,"but those with other organizations that have whose views are seen only as a nuisance similar aims in Ukraine, in other Soviet The October 9-11 conference, which are tolerated and even utilized. He gave featured 27 speakers, panelists* and republics and outside the USSR. as an example of the latter the publica­ The establishment of a new human- moderators, looked at how history, the I -Si - ItiWi* Staw tion of the new magazine Glasnost. media and non-Ukrainians perceive rights monitoring group in Ukraine Ambassador Richard Schifter addresses The distribution of a few hundred comes at a time of increased political Ukraine and Ukrainians, and discussed the Leadership Conference II luncheon. the possibilities of improving the copies of such magazine, he said, "need activity within the community of Soviet Ukrainian image. 10, he analyzed the phenomenon of not land its writers in jail; harassing dissidents and former political glasnost and demokratyzatsiya in the the writers and otherwise interfering prisoners. with their work will do. Besides, tens of Schifter on glasnost Soviet Union. On October 6, only several days after Just as glasnost does not mean free millions of readers of Western publica­ the Ukrainian group issued its state­ tions are informed of the new pheno­ Ambassador Richard Schifter. speech, demokratyzatsiya does not ment, four Moscow activists announced mean democratization in the Western menon...a new magazine of dissent, and the formation of a Soviet branch of the assistant secretary of state for human as the result think more kindly of the rights and humanitarian affairs, was the sense, he said. Frankfurt-based International Society Freedom of speech as the current Soviet Union. The small number of for Human Rights. They told Western keynote speaker of the conference. (Continued on page 10) Addressing the luncheon on October Soviet leadership sees it, he noted, "is (Continued on page IS) THE UKRAINIAN WEEKLY . SUNDAY, OCTOBER 18, 1987 No. 42 A GUMPSE OF SOVIET REALITY Congressmen ask Soviets to end persecution of- Catholic priest Letter to Gorbachev announces WASHINGTON - Sixty-four SSR Criminal Code was leading a members of the U.S. House of Repre­ religious procession from a church to a sentatives have written to the Soviet cemetery. publication of Ukrainian journal official who oversees religious affairs in The congressmen remind Mr. Lithuania to ask that a "wrongfully im­ Anilionis of remarks made by his byRo iSolchanyk of the number of Kazakhs in the republic's institutions of higher prisoned" Roman Catholic priest now superior, Konstantin Kharchev, the top in labor camp be released and allowed official in the USSR for religious As previously reported, Vyacheslav education and an influx of Russians, to practice his vocation without inter­ matters, while the latter was visiting the Chornovil, one of the veterans of the Russified Ukrainians, and others. ference. United States in late August. They Ukrainian dissident movement and a In practice, he maintains, quote him as admitting that in the past former political prisoner, has an­ restructuring with regard to the In a letter to Religious Affairs Com­ the Soviet government had made nounced the intention of a group of national question has been limited to missioner Petras Anilionis, dated mistakes in its policy toward religious Ukrainian journalists and writers to re­ permitting cultural figures, for the most October 1, the congressmen express believers, which it was now attempting new the publication of a samvydav part writers, to talk about "the their concern that the Rev. Jonas to reverse. According to the signers of journal suppressed in the early 1970s. depressing situation" of the national Kastytis Matulionis may not be allowed languages and the cultural heritage of to go free in November, though that is the letter, the punishment of the Rev. The announcement came in a 30-page when his three-year sentence in a Matulionis for graduating from a open letter to General Secretary their nations. Even so, says Mr. Chor­ novil, this discussion has been con­ general-regimen labor camp officially seminary not sanctioned by the Soviet Mikhail Gorbachev dated August 5, ends. They note that the cleric, whose government was just such a mistake. that has recently reached the West ducted on a superficial level, without delving into the reasons for the existing conviction on charges of'disturbing the through samvydav channels. public order" was covered under the The Rev. Matulionis is one of a dozen Mr.