Ukraine Remembers Victims of 1930s Manmade Famine

KYIV, Ukraine, November 25, 2013 /PRNewswire/ --

This year, Ukraine marked the 80th anniversary of the manmade famine - Holodomor. At this time more than three quarters of a century ago millions of Ukrainian people died of hunger. The commemoration day, which took place this weekend, included numerous events: open lectures, exhibitions, official ceremonies and theatrical performances dedicated to the event.

On Saturday, November 23, thousands of people gathered in their city and town squares all over Ukraine to light up countless candles in memory of those who suffered the famine. Ukrainian TV channels broadcast special programming to educate viewers about the history of the nation, the famine as well as its historical and cultural consequences.

"Safety, freedom and welfare of a person must always be in the center of state policy," said President of Ukraine Viktor Yanukovych during the ceremony honoring memory of Holodomor victims. "Humanism, as a feature of healthy and mature society, must become a basis of our country. I am confident that we will never let such tragedies happen in Ukraine again," he emphasized. He also mentioned that the goal of the nation was to preserve the memory of everything that happened on Ukrainian land, both heroic and tragic. "Common memory and history must unite us and make us stronger. It is the foundation of our future," reiterated the Ukrainian president.

Holodomor took place in 1932-1933 with millions of human casualties. Reportedly, the Soviet authorities confiscated harvested grain and other food from the rural population, causing food shortage, famine, and eventual death of approximately four million people, according to the Harvard Ukrainian Research Institute data. It is a historical fact that hungry peasants weren't allowed to relocate; moreover, the authorities introduced repressions against them.

In 2003, Ukrainian parliament addressed Ukrainians with a statement that recognized Holodomor as genocide (deliberate, organized extermination of a group of people). So far, more than 20 countries including Canada, Poland and the U.S., have recognized Holodomor as genocide.

In 2008, the European Parliament recognized the artificial famine in Ukraine as "an appalling crime against the Ukrainian people, and against humanity," informs official website of the EU legislative body. The EP strongly condemned "these acts, directed against the Ukrainian peasantry, and marked by mass annihilation and violations of human rights and freedoms."