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110 ХХ Х Конвенція СУА champion for women’s rights as well as the democratic process, took strong stands on these matters and actively participated in the protections of human rights for all the people of Ukraine. On July 3 0 , 2011, I wrote a letter to President Viktor Yanukovych with a request that he rescind his decision to reduc e the b udget for the Kyiv Mohyla Academy. That fall I also worked on a letter - writing campaign to the Ukrainian government regarding viola- tions of human rights in Ukraine and urged all members of the UNW LA to write to their government rep- resentatives on this same issue. I sent sample letters to legislators to the presidents of the Regional Coun- cils, encouraging all the members to join in this campaign. I stressed that large numbers of letters played a si gnificant role in influencing U.S. legislators. I wrote two more letters to President Viktor Yanukovych. The first letter referred to Yulia Tymo- shenko’s and Yuriy Lutsenko’s illegal detention, guided by political motives, which was clearly a viola- tion of human rights. The second one sharply condemned the Verkhovna Rada ’s passage of bill No. 9073, “On the Basis of Language Policy.” This letter was published in the October issue of Our Life . I sent a letter to the Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine, V olodymyr Lytvyn, expressing outrage about his publicly made negative remarks about women. I sent a letter to the U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton thanking her for her support of Yulia Tymoshenko’s rights. I wrote yet another letter to President V. Y anukovych after the European Court of Human Rights decided that Ms. Tymoshenko’s arrest and imprisonment were politically motivated. The UNWLA de- manded that the president release Ms. Tymoshenko based on that decision. In November of 2013, history was being made in Ukraine. The unfortunate decision of President Viktor Yanukovych to spurn European integration and violent attacks of Berkut on student protesters caused consternation in Ukraine as well as the Ukrainian communities in the diaspora. Our work as o ne of the voices of the diaspora began. We had to communicate to our government legislators our vehement disapproval of the violent tactics used on peaceful demonstrators. On November 30, 2013, I wrote a letter to Secretary of State John Kerry about the violence perpe- trated by the Ukrainian government against peaceful demonstrators seeking their human rights as cit- izens of a democratic society. At a later date, I also wrote a letter to Secretary of State John Kerry asking for stronger measures, including sanctions, against the Ukrainian government. On December 5, 2013, I wrote a fundraising letter in English and Ukrainian to our membership, in- forming them of a campaign by the UNWLA to collect funds for humanitarian aid for the demon- strators at Kyiv’s Freedom Square. On December 19, 2013, I wrote to Senators John McCain and Christopher Murphy expressing our appreciation for their personal appearance at the Maidan and their support of freedom - loving Ukrainians. On March 24, 2014, I participated in a pan el discussion, “Crisis in Ukraine,” in Sarasota, Florida, together with Bohdan Vitvitsky and Oksana Bashuk - Hepburn. The panel discussion was moderated by Anisa Mycak. My topic was the role of the UNWLA in humanitarian aid at the Maidan. Also in March I wa s interviewed and appeared on local television on the subject of the invasion of the Crimea by Russia. The members of the UNWLA Executive Board have all been involved with the activities support- ing the Maidan. In the beginning, our hearts swelled with pri de as the young people of Ukraine stood up for their democratic rights. We all watched the crowd comprised of children, students, and the aging swell to a million on Espresso TV, with Ruslana as a driving force behind this peaceful demonstration. We watche d and waited with trepidation as news arrived about the beatings of the students of the Kyiv Mohy- la Academy and the Ukrainian Catholic University. The subversive forces of Russian President Vladimir Putin were at work: the personnel for the Berkut forces w ere being imported from Russia. It was just a matter of time until another episode of violence would occur — which it did, in the most brutal way imagi- nable.
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