Memorial to the Holodomor victims
The Holodomor, a term derived from Ukrainian words meaning "to kill by hunger" or "extermination by hunger," refers to a man-made famine that occurred in Soviet Ukraine from 1932 to 1933. It is considered one of the most devastating and tragic events in the 20th century, resulting in the deaths of millions of Ukrainians. Despite the fact, that millions of Ukrainians died because of this famine and the there are clear evidences, the question of whether the Holodomor constitutes genocide is a matter of considerable debate among some historians, scholars, and international bodies.
Why is it important to remember the Holodomor, to recognize it as genocide and what are the lessons for our days?
Legal aspects
From the viewpoint of international law, the Holodomor is a genocide. Its due recognition and remembrance are crucial for non-repetition of such acts in the future.
The Holodomor fully corresponds to Article 2 of the Genocide Convention containing the following definition:
In the present Convention, genocide means any of the following acts committed with intent to destroy, in whole or in part, a national, ethnical, racial or religious group, as such:
(c) Deliberately inflicting on the group conditions of life calculated to bring about its physical destruction in whole or in part;
The Holodomor is an artificially instigated famine against Ukrainians unwilling to succumb to the Soviet occupation. In the wake of it, at least 3 million 941 thousand people lost their lives. Estimates run up to 10 million killed persons.
There is no problem in the Genocide Convention being adopted after the Holodomor. Genocide is so grave and egregious that it is prohibited in itself as jus cogens, without the need for codification. The Holocaust had also been committed before the Convention on Genocide was drafted.
In 1984-1988, the US Commission on the Ukraine Famine created by the Senate worked on the topic . In its final report to the Congress, it concluded that the Holodomor was a man-made famine, an act of genocide against the people of Ukraine carried out by the Soviet, in particular personally ordered by Stalin and his close circle.
Finally, the Holodomor was directed against Ukrainians as a nation – caused by Moscow’s desire to suppress political opposition to its occupation. The deployment of forces enforcing governmental policy was limited to areas populated by Ukrainians. All these facts indicate the existence of genocide.
Importantly, Dr Raphael Lemkin, the author of the term “genocide”, considered the Holodomor to be “the classic example of Soviet genocide, its longest and broadest experiment in Russification – the destruction of the Ukrainian nation”.
Recognition
As of the end of 2022, 23 countries have recognized the Holodomor as genocide. Several more countries have condemned it, including as a crime of the totalitarian Soviet regime. There are also dozens of examples of recognition of Holodomor as genocide or its condemnation on the local level The Holodomor has received much more attention since Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine. About a quarter of these 23 countries recognized the 1932-1933 famine as genocide directly in 2022.
In November 2003, the 58th session of the UN General Assembly adopted the Joint Statement on the 70th anniversary of the Great Famine of 1932-1933, which recognized it as a national tragedy of the Ukrainian people. 64 UN member states voted in favor of the Joint Statement, including Russia.
Now, it is understandable that it might not have been desirable before to trigger fierce reactions from Moscow due to recognition of the Holodomor as genocide. However, as in 2022 Russia rejected all our peace-keeping efforts and went into full-scale war, unprecedented since WWII in Europe, this is a perfect moment for making this recognition. It would send a strong message and demonstrate the connection between events of 1932-1933 and 2022.
It would also create a basis for reconciliation in the future as Russia will also revisit its Soviet legacy and stop justifying Stalin’s crimes.
On December 15, the European Parliament voted for a resolution recognizing the Holodomor of 1932-1933 as genocide of the Ukrainian people. 507 MPs voted in favor of this decision, and just 12 voted against it. The adopted resolution expresses solidarity with the people of Ukraine and honors the memory of millions of people who died as a result of the purposeful actions of the Stalinist regime to organize an artificial famine.
Why is it so important?
According to the UN World Food Programme, as of March 2022, one in three households were estimated to be food-insecure, rising to one in two in some areas of the east and south. The Russian invasion has pushed up the poverty rate from 2% to 25%, accordingTherefore, both legally and politically, it is possible and very important for Ukraine and for security in Europe to promote recognition of the Holodomor as genocide. to World Bank estimates.
Russia regularly speculates on food security, exemplified by the blockade of Ukrainian ports, which in turn creates hunger in developing MENA countries as well.
Ukraine knows first-hand the cost of aggression and occupation. In the period after World War I, Ukraine failed to win the war for its independence. The occupation turned out to be a real tragedy, which still occupies an important place in the national memory of the people. Therefore, both legally and politically, it is possible and very important for Ukraine and for security in Europe to promote recognition of the Holodomor as genocide.
At a time when grave war crimes are being committed today, the memory of the genocide of 1932-1933 serves as an affirmation that any aggression is worth fighting back.
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