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 PRESENTATIONS OF THE UKRAINIAN PARLIAMENT COMMISSIONER FOR HUMAN RIGHTS NINA KARPACHoVA ON THE occasion OF ANNIVERSARY OF THE UKRAINIAN HELSINKI GROUP

On November 9, 2001, the celebrations were held in Kyiv dedicated to the 25th Anniversary of the Ukrainian Helsinki Group. It all started with the opening in the premises of the Kyiv Mogyla Academy of the seminar “Human Rights in Ukraine: Past and Present Situations”, where a symbolic bridge was built between those who started a sacred business of defending human rights in the gone 70th, and those who continue to protect rights and freedoms of our compatriots at the present moment.
It is impossible to forget the input the Ukrainian Helsinki Group made into protection of human rights, especially those persons, who gave their lives for these ideals: Mykhailo Melyk, Oleksa Tykhyi, Yuriy Lytvyn, Valeriy Marchenko, Vasyl Stus… The Ukrainian Helsinki Group was the first to launch fight against violations of human rights using as foundation international treaties, in particular, Helsinki Agreement. It actively supported establishment of an independent Ukrainian state. 
The Ukrainian Parliament Commissioner for Human Rights Nina Karpachova has participated in the seminar “Human Rights in Ukraine: Past and Present Situations” as well as in the solemn public meeting on occasion of the 25th Anniversary of the establishment of the Ukrainian Helsinki Group held in Kyiv Teacher House. The Vistnyk has published the Ombudsperson Nina Karpachova presentations at the above meetings.

Speech of the Ukrainian Parliament Commissioner for Human Rights Nina Karpachova at the seminar
 “Human Rights in Ukraine: Past and Present Situations”
 
(Kyiv Mogyla Academy, November 9, 2001) 


Dear friends!

Today we are lucky to be here in this beautiful hall together with the founders of the Helsinki Group in Ukraine, who embody for us, the youth, the generation that has played a prominent role in the history of human rights protection movement in Ukraine. 
It is a known fact, that the Helsinki process emerged in 1973, and after the Final Helsinki Act was signed in 1975, Helsinki Groups started to appear, which principle objective was to monitor fulfillment of the international agreements in every state being the participant of this process. The historical importance of the Ukrainian Helsinki Movement lies in the particular fact that these courageous people, selfless patriots of Ukraine, started their activity in rights protection under extremely tough conditions. They not simply fully endured all those hardships and ordeals they faced but managed to unite a unique objectives in their activity – the fight for freedom and human rights with the fight for Independent Ukraine. 
My friends! At that time I was a student of the Law Department of the Kyiv Shevchenko State University and I remember what was going on. We read the samizdat publications, the most active youth of that time was engaged in studying the Final Helsinki Act; and I can say that the impact made by the participants of the Helsinki Group to rights-protection movement in all Republics of the Soviet Union was not vain. The Moscow Helsinki Group as well as many others – they all made their positive input. I personally was lucky to know Andriy Sakharov, Sergiy Kovalev and many other prominent Russian dissidents. 
At that very moment, at the end of the 70-s our public awareness started to gain shape. Since the political atmosphere of the society was absolutely stuffy, and my colleagues and I acutely felt it. It is true that the social and economic rights were better protected at that time comparing with the present situation, though nothing of the kind could be told about the civil rights. The Third Section of the Final Helsinki Act required just assurance of political, civil and personal rights – those rights, that were limited to the largest extend in the countries of the socialist camp. 
Dear friends! Mister Evgen Sverstyuk, who spoke lately, was right to note that today we have to cast a deeper look at what we have to get done. Are human rights violated in our sovereign state? We say: “Yes, they do”, and they are violated in brutally. Unfortunately, no state exists at the moment where human rights are not violated, even in the most civilized and developed countries. It is troublesome as the problem of compliance with human rights does not have borders. Let us remember about it! The office of the Ombudsman, established for the first time in the history of our state as an independent constitutional institution, is literally trying to deliver to out compatriots that it is an everyday business to fight for their rights, to face the challenge every single day. Therefore, we have to use the experience of our first Helsinki Group and Ukrainian Helsinki Union to the fullest possible extend. 
I am extremely moved and grateful that the organizers, especially the Kharkiv Rights Protection Group, Mr. Evgen Zakharov and our Helsinki Group held today the celebration, which had to be commemorated at the highest state level. Moscow also commemorated the 25th Anniversary of their Helsinki Group. I was at that celebration: the same atmosphere and the same attitude on the part of the authorities – indifferent, listless. Absolute hush up. It is not an incidental fact. Since the authorities understand, it is not suffice just to proclaim human rights and freedoms, such rights and freedoms have to be assured. 
Dear friends! I very often visit the prisons, ordinary Ukrainian prisons. You, probably, understand my concern about it. The Ukrainian Helsinki Group is remarkable for its members suffered as a result of mass arrests, they suffered spiritually and physically. It is a shame, but few things have changed so far behind the bars, where innocent people are sometimes kept. Here is one vivid example of the mess existing in our penitentiary system. Just imagine Ukrainian women convoyed every day in appalling conditions of so-called “Black Marias” without fresh air, water or other vital conditions. We have spent two years of our work to put an end to these frightful, shameful transports, which have been experienced by more than 15,000 Ukrainian women for the 10 years of the Independent Ukraine. At present, such convoys have been cancelled. 
Just remember what was going on in Kyiv on March 9, 2002. It was the birthday of our Great Bard [T. Shevchenko]. After clashes with police mass arrests were performed among students, many people were locked. We sent an appeal to the Chairperson of Kyiv City Court Pavlo Zubets – as the only thing I can do is to request. However, we have to do something. Lviv students called me on the direct line and said, “There are 5,000 of us standing in front of the Lviv Region Administration. The students from Ivano-Frankivsk and Kharkiv are rising; and we are ready to walk to Kyiv”. It was a cry of despair. That is why, I requested Mr. Zubets to urgently refute and acknowledge as illegal the decisions of all district courts of the city of Kyiv regarding such administrative arrests. The City Court refuted those decisions, and all students, journalists, and the rest of the public were released. 
Dear friends! I have to say today that our old and young generation, we all account a high degree of responsibility. We have to joint our efforts to fill such lofty concept as “human rights” with real substance; for our state, the Ukrainian people had been dreaming of for centuries, to become a reality; for us to be eager to live in such country. One should not be merely a passive observer; each has to build a state everyone dreams to live in. 
I congratulate today all of us, and especially our dear courageous patriots. I wish you: for so long as the God gives you to stay in our rows, be with us and help us with your wise word, wise advice, since the way of rights protection chosen by you inspires us today. Thank you for your attention. Thank you, friends! 

Speech of the Ukrainian Parliament Commissioner for Human Rights Nina Karpachova at Solemn Public Meeting on 
occasion of the 25th Anniversary of Establishment of the Ukrainian Helsinki Group 

(Kyiv City Teacher House, November 9, 2001.) 


Dear family! 
Dear friends! I am honored as the Ukrainian Parliament Commissioner for Human Rights and, mainly, as a human being, the citizen of our independent Ukraine, to be today with persons who gave the onset to the Helsinki Movement in Ukraine. The Ukrainian Helsinki Movement lies in the fact that you, dear friends, managed to do almost impossible things: to combine the fight for human rights and fundamental freedoms with the fight for the independence of Ukraine. And you have reached this great goal. 
I’m happy that in the Parliament of the previous convocation I had a chance to work with such esteemed personalities as Levko Lukyanenko, Bogdan Goryn, Vyacheslav Chornovil, who left us, and Mykola Goryn. All together, we adopted the First Vconstitution of the independent and sovereign Ukraine. We have created an entirely new constitutional institution – the Office of the Ukrainian Parliament Commissioner for Human Rights. 
Every day I feel pain brought to us by thousands of our citizens, disappointed, offended, those, who are on the verge of poverty and spend their days destitute. One cannot live usual life if knowing about severe tortures still performed in Ukrainian prisons and detention centers. It is not our past. It is, unfortunately, our future. For this particular reason we ask you, our wise advisors, our courageous friends, our associates – we badly need your assistance! 
We have to loudly say: No! No to further easement of a personality in Ukraine! We have to say to all: No to shameful disgrace! We have to say “No” to modern physical and spiritual tortures, which are still alive in Ukraine. 
Highly esteemed friends! Yes, our dream about living in an independent state has come true. But, unfortunately, not to the full extend. We have a lot of work to do. Many things have to be done for our state and its freedom-loving people stand in all its magnitude. 
I personally have prepared a memorable address for the members of the Helsinki Group. I spoke out my view and want to give this memorable address to a highly-esteemed person, Mr. Mykola Ridyk and his dear wife Mrs. Raisa. 
Second, dear friends! I keep in my hands an unassuming work. It is the first Ombudsperson Report in the history of the independent Ukraine. It contains a multifaceted survey of the situation with the assurance human rights and freedoms in our state, to be exact it is not simply assurance but as well a situation with violation of human rights and freedoms in our country. It has almost four hundred pages. 
The report is opened with a dedication line: “To sons and daughters of Ukraine who sacrifice their fight for the right enabling all of us to be a Man on our dear land”. The next page contains a poem – Vasyl Simonenko address to his contemporaries:

  Do You know You are a Man?
Do You know about it?
Your smile is unique, 
Your torment is unique,
Your eyes will never be repeated.


I would like to give to you this small present and express respect on behalf of all employees of the Ombudsperson Office to all founders, all zealots of the Ukrainian Helsinki Group.

 
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