CDGU Marking First Year of Activities
The first anniversary of the creation of the Canadian Group for Democracy in Ukraine provides an opportunity to list achievements and set out future goals and action plans. Established in Summer 2011, the Group has distinguished itself as an opinion leader in applying Canadian democratic values to the political situation in Ukraine.
The Group was formed in response to a call from members of Ukraine’s political opposition to assist in their resistance to the systematic persecution and incarceration of their members by the regime of President Viktor Yanukovych. Yuriy Lutsenko, the former Minister of Internal Security had been languishing in prison for some six months and there was a danger that the key Opposition Leader, Yulia Tymoshenko, would be next. As discussions with established diaspora organizations failed to yield results, the newly-formed Group responded by:
• Obtaining an official invitation from Canada’s Leader of the Liberal Party, Bob Rae for Yulia Tymoshenko to visit Canada and present the political situation in Ukraine to appropriate authorities here. Before this could take place, Ms. Tymoshenko was on “trial”;
• Organizing and disseminating globally the Open Letter from Canada’s former ambassadors and other senior officials to Prime Minister Stephen Harper calling for intervention in Ms. Tymoshenko’s politically motivated trial;
• Holding three demonstrations in front of the Consulate of Ukraine in Toronto to protest the incarceration of Ukraine’s political opposition leaders. The demonstrations obtained considerable media coverage in Ukraine and elsewhere, and were the only organized protest mounted by Canada’s Ukrainian diaspora;
• Obtaining Prime Minister Harper’s written intervention with President Yanukovych regarding Ms. Tymoshenko’s trial and the need to adhere to the rule of law. The Prime Minister’s letter received wide international attention and was followed by similar interventions from other democratic Heads of State;
• Sending an Open Letter on International Women’s Day March 2012 to women, and church, academe and human rights groups globally calling on democratic leaders to maintain pressure on the Yanukovych regime to free Yulia Tymoshenko, Yuriy Lutsenko and other opposition leaders in the manner used in liberating Myanmar’s Aung San Sui Kyi and Nelson Mandela. Specifically, to nominate Ukraine’s political prisoners for honorary university degrees, human rights, “person-of-the-year” and other awards as well as to hold protests and use other means to ensure their plight is constantly in the public eye. The letter-writing campaign was supported by the World Federation of Ukrainian Women’s Organizations and others. Zhenya Tymoshenko, the ex Prime Minister’s daughter, met with Ms. San Sui Kyi who called on global support for Ukraine’s key Opposition Leader;
• Sending a letter to Canada’s Minister of International Aid and Co-operation requesting a visit with Ms. Tymoshenko and other incarcerated opposition leaders during the official trip. Now, Canadian parliamentarians visiting Ukraine make a point of visibly supporting Ms. Tymoshenko, Mr. Lutsenko and others;
• Sending letters of appreciation to Minister John Baird and members of the parliamentary group for their pro-democracy position on Ukraine and urging President Yanukovych to stop the black mark against his regime - the systematic elimination of opposition members; and
• Sending letters to the President of the Ukrainian Canadian Congress urging visible support for Ms. Tymoshenko in Ukraine when on official visits and with Ukrainian-Canadian ex-pats, as well as, in Canada especially during the protracted appeal process.
Links to copies of the letters, and other information, are available at http://blackseahall.ca/cgdu/CGDU_120224_Eng.docx and on the Group’s Facebook https://www.facebook.com/groups/cg4du.
Last year, Group members engaged numerous Canadian and international main street, social and community media to support Canada’s official position on Ukraine; censoring the regime’s backsliding on democracy. Public and private meetings were held in Ottawa, Toronto, Winnipeg, New York, and other North American cities stressing the need to support Ukraine’s nascent democracy by working with government, human rights, women’s and other democracy-minded groups.
There is much further work to be done. The Group invites democratic-minded friends to join in the cause of freedom in 2012-13 by:
• Applying for human rights awards for Yulia Tymoshenko et al.
• Increasing actions with women’s organizations to make Yulia Tymoshenko their “Woman of the Year”.
• Increasing media action in particular main street op-eds and letters to the editor.
The
Canadian Group for Democracy in Ukraine is a Canada-wide virtual
organization. Its membership comprises individuals committed to
promoting a democratic way of life in Ukraine akin to the one
experienced in Canada and other Western states. The Group warmly
welcomes individuals wishing to contribute. At present, we are
looking for people to work the media and liaison fields. If you are
available occasionally for several hours, please contact us at
CGforDU@gmail.com
Canadian Group for Democracy in Ukraine
Press Release