Ukraine’s Parliament Passes Bill Recognizing Famine as Genocide

KYIV–Ukraine’s Parliament on November 28 voted in support of the bill of President Yushchenko to recognize the Holodomor (Famine) of 1932-33 in Ukraine as an act of genocide against the Ukrainian people. The bill, with small corrections by the Parliamentary Speaker Oleksander Moroz, was passed by 233 votes, out of a total of 450. 

118 deputies from the Yulia Tymoshenko Bloc, 79 from the Our Ukraine Party, 30 from the Socialist Party, 2 deputies from the Party of Regions voted, and 4 others voted in favour.

Earlier in the week, Moroz, the head of the Socialists, stated that he would be supporting the bill, but would favour an amendment to it.  “I cannot answer for the whole Parliament. As for me, I will be pressing to have a vote that this was genocide against the people who lived in Ukraine  rather than against people of Ukrainian blood,” he said in an interview with  Radio Era. Prior to the passing of the bill, he also said he did not want the issue to divide Ukraine and that the tragedy also affected Russia.

No Communist Party deputies voted in support of the bill.

Earlier, some Party of Regions members had proposed to drop the word “genocide” from the bill and suggested that the Holodomor be called a “tragedy” instead, apparently lending an ear to protests from Moscow against the bill proposed by Yushchenko.  

Other countries that have already recognized the Holodomor as a genocide against Ukrainians include: Australia, Argentina, Spain, Canada, Latvia, Poland, the United States, Hungary and Georgia.