Posted on 05/21/2015 4:03:09 AM PDT by UMCRevMom@aol.com
Edited on 05/21/2015 4:19:16 AM PDT by Admin Moderator. [history]
Law bans communist and Nazi regime symbols and propaganda. Ukraine's de-communisation law has come into force on Wednesday, May 21. The law was adopted by the Ukrainian parliament on April 9 and signed by President Petro Poroshenko on May 15.
(Excerpt) Read more at uatoday.tv ...
May 21, throughout Ukraine will take place a presentation "day of embroidery." Everyone can join by putting on your favorite shirt of Ukraine. Wear your shirt today in the morning for work and post your photographs. Let this 'FlashMob' connect Ukraine from West to East, from North to South.
Because we are all one, we are Ukrainians!
One wonders when it’s going to start in the US.
“One wonders when its going to start in the US.”
I’ve been praying for the Ukrainians right along, so it’s at least encouraging to me that they seem to have their act back together. Keep the faith, WE can do it, too.
Banning political parties, taking over churches, jailing anyone who dares speak against the current regime, not to mention waging war against civilians...yeah they’re getting their act together alright.
Pfft.
Leaving the past behind: Why is Ukraine banning Soviet symbols?
Like many cities across the country, Ukraine’s capital Kyiv is littered with Soviet-era symbols and monuments to famous communists. In April the Ukrainian parliament passed a law which, in its own words, bans communist and Nazi propaganda as well as symbols.
Decommunisation is needed for Ukraine to build a new, truly post-Soviet national identity. Decommunization or political cleansing dismantles legacies of the communist state establishments, culture, and psychology in the post-communist states. It is sometimes referred to as political cleansing. Ukraine has just joined the other former countries of the Eastern Bloc and post soviet States. It can be compared to denazification after WWII.
No, It is by RUSSIAN FEDERATION invasion supporting the Donetsk People’s Republic (DNR) that bans political parties, taking over churches, jailing anyone who dares speak against them and wage war against civilians.
Please see: UKRAINE: Human rights activists published evidences of religious persecution in occupied Donbas http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/3290082/posts
Everything I wrote up thread is true in today’s fascist Ukraine....and it is being underwritten by the US and European taxpayers.
No amount of white wash from Ukie propagandists is gonna change those facts.
Persecution exists... but the confusion is that the DNR & LNR [supported by Russian Federation] are persecuting Christians: http://evangelicalfocus.com/europe/442/Christians_persecuted_in_Donetsk_and_Luhansk
Kharkiv Human Rights Protection Group (KhPG)
FACTS: A recent report highlights widespread and systematic persecution of all religious groups except believers linked to the Orthodox Church of the Moscow Patriarchate in Donbas, and the role of Russia and its armed criminal crusaders in mounting crimes against humanity in the region.
In parliament on May 8 three representatives of the Orthodox Church under the Moscow Patriarchate, including Primate Onufriy, remained seated when President Petro Poroshenko read out the names of 21 soldiers awarded the title of Hero of Ukraine, 10 posthumously. The soldiers were being honoured for their role in the military action against Kremlin-backed militants in Donbas and all others present, including foreign guests, rose to their feet.
Bishop Clement later asserted that the Primate had in no way wished to express his disrespect for the soldiers, only his opposition to any military conflict.
Perhaps that was the case, but the moment highlighted a growing divide between all other religious faiths in Ukraine, and the Orthodox Church under the Moscow Patriarchate
This is nowhere more pronounced than in Donbas where religious persecution has become a grave problem since the armed conflict began in April 2014.
A study entitled When God becomes the weapon has recently been published by the Centre for Civil Liberties and International Partnership for Human Rights. The authors hope that the evidence they have gathered will serve to ensure that the perpetrators of human rights abuses answer for their deeds and that their victims can seek legal redress in domestic or international courts.
They identify systematic and widespread religious persecution, and also note that religion is one of the key motivating factors and justification cited for criminal activities by unlawful paramilitary groups within the self-proclaimed Donetsk and Luhansk peoples republics [hereafter DNR, LNR].
Ukraine has a fairly high percentage of believers (67%). While members of Orthodox Churches are in the majority, many identified themselves as being simply Orthodox, rather than members of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church under the Kyiv Patriarchate [OUC KP], the Ukrainian Orthodox Church under the Moscow Patriarchate [OUC MP] or Ukrainian Autocephalous Orthodox Church (UAOC). There are also members of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church [UGCC], Roman Catholics and members of a large number of Protestant churches, as well as Muslims and religious Jews.
It is worth noting that nearly 75% of Ukrainians believe that all religions should be respected. This is in stark contrast to developments under Russian occupation in Crimea, as well as the DNR and LNR.
Fighting for the Russian World
The report clearly identifies the major role played by unlawful armed groups who under the banners of the Russian Orthodox Army and the Cossack Army, openly manifest their adherence to orthodoxy and have begun a crusade across the Donbas region.
While conflicts have arisen between differing armed formations, especially in LNR, this adherence to a specific form of Orthodoxy and political ideas around this is largely shared by all pro-Russian militants.
According to the DNR constitution, issued on May 16, 2014 the leading and dominant faith is the Orthodox faith ... as professed by the Russian Orthodox Church (Moscow Patriarchate). The historical heritage and role of the Russian Orthodox Church (Moscow Patriarchate) are recognized and respected, including as a main pillar of the Russian World doctrine “.
This concept of a supposed Russian World encompassing Ukraine, Belarus and Moldova, as well as Russia itself has been repeatedly endorsed by Russian President Vladimir Putin, and by the head of the Russian Orthodox Church Patriarch Kirill. The latter stated in November 2009, that if we consider the Russian Federation with its present boundaries, then we have sinned against the historical truth and artificially cut off millions of people who are aware of their role in the fate of the Russian World and consider its creation their main deed.
Many of the fighters from Russia clearly consider their crusade in Ukraine to be part of that patriarch-blessed main deed.
These armed fighters, and the position of the militants in general, as seen in their constitution have had a profound impact on the areas under militant control, with attacks on churches, abductions and torture of representatives of other churches, and the report notes, prohibition of religious practice other than that linked with the Moscow Patriarchate.
Many of the abductions were reported at the time, with the authors of this report having interviewed the victims and heard quite harrowing accounts of their treatment.
Four members of the Sloviansk Evangelical Church of the Transformation were abducted after a Trinity Sunday service on June 8, brutally beaten and killed. The bodies of the two adult sons of Pastor Alexander Reuben and Albert Pavenko and of two deacons Viktor Brodarsky and Volodymyr Velychko were later found in a mass grave after the militants fled the city. Despite all the evidence being against them, Russian propaganda had tried to claim that the men had been murdered by the Ukrainian army for helping insurgents.
The political nature of the involvement of Russian formations, especially the Cossacks, is highlighted by the account of their other activities. The report notes that for several decades Cossacks have been involved in armed conflicts in the post-Soviet areas of Transdniestria, Abkhazia and Serbia. Nikolai Mitrokhin, a leading researcher on radical movements, calls them right-wing extremists.
The Russian Orthodox Army has as its motto: Warriors of the faith, brothers of the Great Russia, we will unite the whole Southeast, It was formed in February 2014, under the proclaimed leadership of Igor Girkin (nom de guerre Strelkov), identified by US officials as working for Russias GRU military intelligence service.
Position of the Church
The authors of the report note that the Russian Orthodox Church, like the Kremlin, denies any role in stirring up the conflict in Ukraine. They point however to increasing evidence of close ties between the Moscow Patriarchate and the pro-Russian cause.
Open sources and witness testimony indicate that these armed groups also have local support from the clergy of UOC-MP and the Russian Orthodox Church. Examples are provided of some Moscow Patriarchate priests who have, to varying degree, supported these illegal paramilitary groups in their campaign against representatives of Protestant, Evangelical and Catholic Churches, and Orthodox believers who do not recognize the Moscow Patriarchate.
There are individuals in any church or religion and their behaviour cannot necessarily be viewed as representative.
On the other hand, UOC MP has stood apart from all other faiths in Ukraine since the beginning of the conflict. In March 2014, heads of all faiths except UOC MP, issued a joint statement denouncing the claims in the Russian media of harassment in Ukraine on the basis of language, nationality or religion. UOC MP also refused to sign a response from the Ukrainian Council of Churches and Religious Organizations to Putins request for permission to use Russian troops abroad. The statement called the deployment of foreign military forces in Ukraine a threat not only for our country, but for the peace and tranquillity of Europe as a whole.
If Patriarch Onufriy and his colleagues from UOC MP failed to honour soldiers, including ten who were killed in fighting, on May 8 out of opposition to military conflict, it is quite unclear why the Church under the Moscow Patriarchate refused to sign a statement trying to avoid the use of armed forces.
The reports finds that only believers from Orthodox churches under the Moscow Patriarchate are free from persecution in Donbas, and able to practise their religion. All others living in the area affected by conflict are subject to widespread and systematic attack by the rebel groups. This is often, but not always, linked with the belief that people of other faiths are pro-Ukrainian. The Orthodox Church under the Moscow Patriarchate is not only viewed, but even formally established as the ideological foundation and only recognized religion of the militants self-proclaimed republic. So too is Russian nationalism with Russian World mentioned repeatedly in the same constitution.
The authors of the report consider that the scale and magnitude of the attacks on non-Orthodox believers qualify them as crimes against humanity. With evidence mounting of Russias direct involvement in the conflict, they point out that Russia bears responsibility for both preventing and investigating such crimes. Since Russias involvement at the present time would simply hamper investigation, they call on the Ukrainian authorities to formalize the procedure for giving the International Criminal Court jurisdiction to prosecute crimes against humanity committed on Ukrainian territory. This, they say, will not only help the victims, but will also help put an end to rampant impunity in the region.
Kharkiv Human Rights Protection Group (KhPG:)
The Group has been registered as a legal entity since November 1992, although it had existed as the human rights protection wing of the Kharkiv office of Memorial from 1988, and some members of the group had been active in the human rights movement from the 1960s through to the 1980s. The Group is active in three main areas:
providing assistance to individuals whose rights have been infringed, and carrying out investigations into cases of human rights violation;
developing human rights education and promoting legal awareness through public actions and publications;
providing analysis of the human rights situation in Ukraine (particular with regard to political rights and civil liberties.)
The Group has developed a human rights network which connects local human rights organizations throughout Ukraine. It fulfils a vital function as resource and information center. The Group bulletin weekly Prava Ludyny [Human Rights] (in Ukrainian and English) concentrates on reports and analyses related to the first area listed above. Monthly Civic Education and various special issues focus on the second and third areas of activity.
Results of studies into freedom of belief, expression and of information in Ukraine are published on a quarterly basis in Freedom of Expression and Privacy, and historical studies of the human rights movement in Ukraine have been published in numeral books.
In 1998 the Group received the EU/USA Award for Democracy and Civil Society. At the present time the organization has more than fifty members journalists, historians, linguists, lawyers, mathematicians, physicists, programmers, teachers, engineers, students. Thirty people are employed at the center, while others work for us part time or on a voluntary basis.
Some details about the results of projects undertaken by the Group:
1. Defense of individuals whose rights have been violated by state bodies and their officials.
From 1988 1990, in large part as a result of efforts by members of the Group, persecution of individuals for using national symbols and distributing democratic press publications was stopped. The Group gave moral, legal and financial assistance to people convicted for political reasons. From 1993, work on complaints about human rights abuses became an organized part of our role. An office was created to provide assistance to victims of such violations. With the help of the mass media, including foreign media, a contact address for the Group was publicized. Between 1993 and 1996, the Group received around 160 written complaints and a huge number of verbal complaints about rights violations per year. In 1997, we received 248 written complaints, from 1998-1999 approximately 300, in 2000 360, in 2001 430, in 2002 760, in 2003 927, in 2004 989, in 2005 more than 1000, in 2006 1345, in 2007 1642, in 2008- 2010 about 2000. In each case, the Group approaches local and central executive bodies, visits prisons and detention centers, and involves highly-qualified legal specialists and lawyers. The Group publishes an annual report on its reception work. In 2003, a Center for Protection against Torture, with its own Fund, was established. More than 100 appeals to the European Court, prepared by lawyers of the Fund, have been accepted. We won 43 cases and 25 cases are in communication now. At the present time, lawyers of the Fund are working on more than 120 cases.
2. Support for citizens advice centers and open-access libraries have been a part of our role (since 1995). At the end of 1995, a public library was established, where individuals have the opportunity to find information about ways of protecting human rights, to familiarize themselves with relevant documents and to gain legal advice. In this library there are a considerable number of rare books which are used by historians, political scientists, lawyers and others. Consultations are also provided for non-governmental organizations and specialists.
3. The development of an information network of human rights organizations (since 1992).
In 1992, we began creating a system for collecting and distributing information about human rights abuses in Ukraine, a network for mutual assistance, exchange of information and experience. The Group information bulletin Human Rights, which comes out three times a month (from 1999 one for specialists), is distributed among regional human rights groups and state bodies and is widely used by the mass media. A monthly review is also published in English. Literature with a human rights focus, published by the Group and other organizations, is distributed using the same channels. A system has been established to enable joint actions in cases of flagrant violation of human rights. The Group has organized and run many seminars for regional human rights groups. Between 2001 and 2009 nine human rights schools were organized, each with 50 participants. In 2004-2008 the Group organized Forums of HR NGOs together with the UHROU.
4. Developing human rights awareness, disseminating information and understanding of human rights issues among state executive bodies and bodies of local self-government, non-governmental organizations and interested individuals (from 1993)
Since 1993 the Group has been involved in human rights education: it has founded a center for preparing publications about human rights, and established contact with the UN Institute of Human Rights (Geneva, Switzerland). Thirty parts of the series Fact Sheets, issued by this Institute, have been translated into Ukrainian and twice published. In addition, 25 International agreements on human rights, indexed by the UN and conventions of the Council of Europe, have been translated into Ukrainian and prepared for distribution. This material is sent by post on request to teachers, students at institutes and schools, to members of grassroots organizations, and also distributed at seminars. Between 1995 and 1996, the Group played an active role in organizing and running 28 educational seminars on human rights issues in seven Ukrainian cities, as part of the project Developing a civic society in the CIS. All participants in the seminar, including military officers, police officers, employees of the courts, procurators offices, journalists and members of grassroots organizations, received a pack with seminar information. Members of the Group have participated and given lectures at several seminars organized by the Council of Europe. The Group has also organized and run 12 international human rights conferences (in 1993, 1994, 1997, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2008 and in 2010).
5. An annual national competition for school and higher education students for the best essays on human rights themes (in conjunction with the International Society for Human Rights, since 1996) Seven competitions have been held (with 217, 679, 907, 1002, 1818, 1365 and 1256 entries, respectively, received).
6. The creation and upkeep of an information resource Human Rights in Ukraine (since 2000) A website khpg.org, and service for sending information about changes on the site with short annotations. Since 2010 the site is visited by more than 1500 people each day.
7. Analysis of the human rights situation in Ukraine (since 1995)
In 1995, the Group began monitoring key human rights. Several analytical reports have been prepared and published: an analysis of how Ukrainian legislation and law-implementation practice compare with norms of the first section of the European Convention on Human Rights; observance of the UN Convention against Torture in Ukraine; a draft of the Law of Ukraine On the Ombudsman; a draft of the Law of Ukraine On civic organizations; Procedure for making appeals to the European Commission for Human Rights; Freedom of access to official information in Ukraine; A study of specific psychological traits of human rights activists, and others. All such information is distributed by the Group in the form of special issues of the bulletin Human Rights. In total, 65 special issues have so far been published, of these 24 in book form: Against torture, Is the death penalty needed in Ukraine?, European norms for the detention of prisoners, Freedom and the State, Essays about politics, Constitutionalism. The Ukrainian experience, A more humane procedure for the rehabilitation of juvenile offenders in Ukraine, Human rights: my personal view (a compilation of essays by school students participating in the first, second and fifth National Competitions for the best essay about human rights), Prison reform: explorations and achievements, various reports On Observance of human rights in Ukraine in 1998, 1999 and 2000, Wire-tapping in International law and the legislation of eleven European countries, Studying Human Rights. A bibliographical review, Appeals to the European Court of Human Rights, International Mechanisms for protecting human rights, Against torture. A review of claims made of inhumane treatment and the use of torture, Freedom of expression and opinion in Ukraine in 2001, Against torture. International Mechanisms against torture and cruel treatment, Against torture. European Mechanisms against torture and inhumane treatment, Right to privacy, Freedom of information. Theory and Practice, and others.
8. Human rights education for various social and professional groups (since 1993)
In 1993 an international conference on human rights education was held, and since then members of the Group have run optional human rights courses in schools. The brochure ABC Teaching Human rights, issued by the UN, has been translated from English and distributed among teachers. Since February 1999, one of the three issues of the bulletin Prava Ludyny has become specialized, with a specific slant for specialists working in the field of civic and human rights education. This new publication is titled: Human Rights. Civic Education. It contains method plans for teaching human rights in schools, discusses issues of civic education and civic awareness. Several manuals on human rights education, created by the Center for Civic Education in Calabasasis, CA, USA, have been translated from English and two of these have been published. Other works, including a bibliographical review of publications on human rights education, have also been published. Three national conferences for teachers on human rights issues have been held (1999, 2000, 2001), with each participant receiving a pack with information and publications on teaching human rights. There were more than 40 educational events for law-enforcing officers, judges, prosecutors, personal of the penal system during 2002-2010 on prevention of torture.
9. Monitoring and defense of freedom of expression and of the right to privacy (since 1996) Cases involving the infringement of the rights to freedom of expression, to information and to privacy are monitored, and civil investigations undertaken (a number of which have had considerable success). Relevant legislation is also scrutinized. We publish a quarterly journal Freedom of Expression and Privacy. Two conferences on issues of privacy and access to information have been held. Several suggestions from the Group with regard to amendments to normative legislation have been accepted. We translated from English into Ukrainian and published many materials as well as prepared several drafts law in question.
10. Monitoring and defense of the right to freedom from torture and ill-treatment (since 1996) Cases involving the use of torture are monitored and publicized through various publications and the Internet. Two independent reports to the UN Committee against torture regarding Ukraines adherence to the UN Convention against torture have been issued, and the majority of recommendations of the Committee, based on our report, have already been followed up by state bodies. A book titled Against torture has been published, and an international conference in conjunction with the Council of Europe held. The latter significantly raised public awareness of the existence of the problem. Between 1998 and 2001 14 seminars were run in regional centers to make officers of the Ministry of Internal Affairs (MIA), the State Security Service (SSU) and the Procurator aware of international standards for avoiding torture and cruel treatment. In July 2003 a 3-year project Campaign against torture and inhumane treatment in Ukraine was undertaken with the support of the European Commission, OSI, NED and other donors. A Fund was also established to defend victims of torture. We prepared and published many books devoted to prevention of torture. In particular, we prepared three shadow reports to the CAT in 1996, 2001 and 2007. Since 2005, members of KHPG, and members of its several regional partners, have been participating in mobile groups organized by the MIA. The groups carry out spot inspections of district police stations to check the observation of human rights of detainees.
11. Security Services in a constitutional democracy (since 1996).
Members of the Group are involved in analyzing legislation on the State Security Service and implementation of these laws. Six analytical reports have thus far been prepared, as well as one book and two bulletins. Two international conferences have been held. Amendments to normative legislation have been made on recommendations from the Group.
12. Studies of the history of the dissident movement in Ukraine. A Whos Who of Dissidents has been created as well as a list of individuals repressed for political reasons between 1953 and 1988 (begun in 1989). The Group was responsible for the Ukrainian section of the biographical reference work, with 120 brief biographical texts with photographs, a description and chronological account of the dissident movement, as well as a bibliography. Members of the Group compile archive material about the history of the dissident movement, interview ex-dissidents (202 people were interviewed filling 608 cassettes). A database is being created of members of the dissident movement in Ukraine, and a huge photo archive has been established. The first draft of a list of Ukrainian political prisoners (1954 1988), with around 3000 names, has been prepared.
13. Preparation and publication of a historical memory series devoted to resistance to the totalitarian regime of the USSR (begun in 1992). From 1992 to 1996 the Group helped to prepare a series The History of Dissidence in the USSR (in conjunction with Moscow Memorial and the publishing house Vest. Seven books were published. Since 1998, we have been preparing our own series, of which 25 volumes have been published. To mark the 25th anniversary of the founding of the Ukrainian Helsinki Group, we published The Ukrainian Helsinki Group Documents and Materials in four volumes. This was awarded third prize in the category Encyclopedia in the nationwide 2001 Book of the Year competition. A conference to mark the anniversary was also held in Kiev under the banner Human Rights in Ukraine: now and then. the Group had previously also published Mikhail Heifets works in three volumes, and the reminiscences of Dina Kaminska. A series of memoirs dedicated to the history of political repression under the heading Memories has been created and six books have already been published. In 2003 the Group published Boris Zakharovs A Brief History of the dissident movement in Ukraine (1956-1987), which covers all trends and movements among Ukrainian dissidents of that time, and is aimed at teachers of history and law. Lectures and seminars are held for school teachers, with one topic focusing on the history of the dissident movement in Ukraine.
14. A study into problems of discrimination and inequality on the basis of race, skin color, ethnic origin, religion and language in Ukraine (since 2002).
The Group is taking part in the Council of Europe project to protect the rights of ethnic, language, religious and other minorities. A Non-discrimination review was prepared for the year 2003.
Our address:
27 Ivanova St., Apt. 4, 61002, Kharkiv, Ukraine
for letters: P.O.B. 10430, 61002, Kharkiv, Ukraine
Tel.: (+380-57) 714 35 58
Tel./Fax (+380-57) 700 67 71
WEB-sites: khpg.org, archive.khpg.org, library.khpg.org
Enough with the holier than thou propaganda already!
Thank you for providing evidence that the neo-nazi Azov battalion is made up of volunteers from a cross-section of Ukraine. Demonstrates how pervasive the fascist mindset is over there.
No. To comprehend text need to set aside your personal agenda.
Good advice lady...you should try it sometime.
I do. I shared facts which apparently you don’t even read. Instead, you deflect advice with sarc. don’t you see, you end up informed.
I really beleived you did care that is why I took the time to respond. However, I should say your deflection of information leaves you grievously oblivious and unenlightened.
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