Американська історія і політика (Mar 2018)
Role of the Americans for Human Rights in Ukraine in support of human rights movement in Ukrainian SSR
Abstract
The role of NGO of the Ukrainian expat community in the USA “Americans for Human Rights in Ukraine” (AHRU) driven on the support of human rights movement in the Ukrainian SSR has been investigated. The goals of the organization and the main directions of its activity have been analyzed. It is concluded that AHRU was a regular local Ukrainian expat community organization in the USA, which was created to assist the human rights movement issue in Ukraine. Its activities reflect the typical tactics of such organizations and included the following ones: betting on decision-makers of the high level (members of Congress), using wide political ties of the Ukrainian expat community in the USA, cooperation with other expat community groups, professional and civic organizations in Ukrainians, as well as with Amnesty International and other international organizations. The role of the AHRU in the following directions has been revealed: organizing crusades for the Ukrainian political prisoners (M. Rudenko, I. Svitlychny, O. Meshko, J. Tereliya); manifesting the anniversary of the Ukrainian Helsinki Group by President Ronald Reagan on November 9, 1982; creating the US Congressional Commission on the Famine in Ukraine. It is concluded that the activities of the AHRU have contributed to raising the awareness of the global community on the violation of human rights in the U.S.S.R. It is also resumed that the results of work of the Congressional Commission on the Famine in Ukraine have forced the First Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Ukraine V. Shcherbytsky to recognize the happening of the famine in Ukraine 1933.
