Ukraine to call upon Russia to provide archival material on Holodomor
The Cabinet of Ministers has approved an Action Plan for 2007 – 2008 in connection with the 75th anniversary of Holodomor 1932-1933 in Ukraine. The plan envisages negotiations with the Russian Federation on providing archival material linked with Holodomor 1932-1933 and the famines of 1921-1923 and 1946 – 1947. The Cabinet of Ministers Instruction No. 1026 from 21 November is placed on the Verkhovna Rada official website.
Local authorities are instructed to promote and improvement in the level of social, everyday, and medical services for people who went through Holodomor or the famines.
The plan also envisages the development of a nationwide programme of research into Holodomor 1932-1933 and honouring of its victims to last until 2012; the preparation of a national book and regional books of remembrance of victims of Holodomor; organization of work to identify and record places of mass burial and separate graves of victims of Holodomor 1932-1933 and the famines.
There are also plans in 2008 to design and construct a monument to victims of Holodomor in Washington DC, as well as to continue work in other countries on establishing State monuments or memorial plaques.
The local authorities have also been instructed to consider dismantling monuments and memorial plaques to individuals complicit in the organization of Holodomor, as well as renaming streets, etc which carry their name.
The plan envisages the establishment of a memorial to the victims of Holodomor and one to the renowned American researcher into Holodomor James Mace.
* the term in the Ukrainian is holodomor for all three famines. Given the difficulty over decades with bringing Holodomor 1932-1933 and its many millions of victims to the attention of the world community, it seems sensible to not complicate the issue for those unfamiliar with Ukrainian. We therefore use the term Holodomor only in relation to the manmade Famine of 1932-1933 which has been recognized by Ukraine and a number of other countries as an act of genocide against the Ukrainian nation (translator)