Ukrainian Helsinki Group


The Ukrainian Helsinki Group was founded on November 9, 1976 as the "Ukrainian Public Group to Promote the Implementation of the Helsinki Accords on Human Rights" to monitor human rights in Ukraine. The group was active until 1981 when all members were jailed.
The group's goal was to monitor the Soviet Government's compliance with the Helsinki Accords, which ensure human rights. The members of the group based the group's legal viability on the provision in the Helsinki Final Act, Principle VII, which established the rights of individuals to know and act upon their rights and duties.

Details

Since 1977 the Ukrainian Helsinki Group foreign affiliate began its activities with the participation of Petro Hryhorenko, Nadiya Svitlychna, Leonid Plyushch and later Nina Strokata-Karavanska Nadiya Svitlichna began to host the human rights themed radio programs on Svoboda radio.
From the very early days the group endured the repressions of Soviet authorities. In February 1977 the authorities began to arrest members of the Ukrainian Helsinki Group, and within two years all the founding members were tried and sentenced to exile or imprisonment for 7 to 10 years.
At the end of 1979, six members of the group were forced to emigrate, while other Ukrainian dissidents were not allowed to do so. Soviet authorities used punitive medicine: some Ukrainian Helsinki Group members were threatened with committal. Hanna Mykhailenko, who was a sympathizer of the Group, was detained in a psychiatric hospital in 1980. Bad conditions in Soviet camps and prisons caused the deaths of UHG members Oleksiy Tykhy and Vasyl Stus later on.
In 1982 the Initiative Group for the Defense of Believers and the Church was established, which considered itself a part of the Helsinki movement in Ukraine. Its organizers, Yosyp Terelia and Vasyl Kobryn, were both sentenced in 1985.
Some political prisoners from outside of Ukraine announced their symbolical membership in the Group in 1983.
By 1983 the Ukrainian Helsinki Group had 37 members, of whom 22 were in prison camps, 5 were in exile, 6 emigrated to the West, 3 were released and were living in Ukraine, 1 committed suicide.
On July 7, 1988 members of group established and officially registered the Ukrainian Helsinki Association which in 1990 transformed itself into the Ukrainian Republican Party. In 2004, the Ukrainian Helsinki Human Rights Union was established as association of public human rights organizations.

Members

By the estimations of Vasyl Ovsyenko, the Group involved 41 persons in total. About 27 of them were sentenced by Soviet authorities to prisons and camps directly for their membership in the association. They spent altogether about 170 years in prisons, mental hospitals and in exile.

UHG abroad

In 1980 for UHG abroad Nadiya Svitlychna became an editor of the "Herald of Repressions in Ukraine" publication.

Arrested members

By 1982, most members of the Ukrainian Helsinki Group had been arrested:
NameSentenced onSentence
Mykola Rudenko1 July 1977Seven years in strict regimen camp and five years of internal exile for "anti-Soviet agitation and propaganda";
Oleksy Tykhy1 July 1977Ten years in special regimen camp and five years of internal exile for "anti-Soviet agitation and propaganda" and illegal possession of firearms ;
Myroslav Marynovych29 March 1978Seven years in strict regimen camp and five years of internal exile for "anti-Soviet agitation and propaganda";
Mykola Matusevych29 March 1978Seven years in strict regimen camp and five years of internal exile for "anti-Soviet agitation and propaganda";
Levko Lukyanenko20 July 1978Ten years in special regimen camp and five years of internal exile for "anti-Soviet agitation and propaganda";
Oles Berdnyk24 December 1979Six years in strict regimen camp and three years of internal exile for "anti-Soviet agitation and propaganda";
Mykola Horbal21 January 1980Five years of camp for "resisting a representative of authority" and attempted rape ;
Zinovy KrasivskyArrested on 12 March 1980, and transferred directly into labor camp to serve the eight months in camp and five years of internal exile remaining under a 1967 sentence for "anti-Soviet agitation and propaganda" and "treason";
Vitaly Kalynychenko18 May 1980Ten years in special regimen camp and five years of internal exile for "anti-Soviet agitation and propaganda";
Vyacheslav Chornovil6 June 1980Five years in strict regimen camp for attempted rape ;
Olha Heyko26 August 1980Three years general regimen camp for "anti-Soviet slander" ;
Vasyl Stus14 October 1980Ten years in special regimen camp and 5 years of internal exile for "anti-Soviet agitation and propaganda" ;
Oksana Meshko6 January 1981Six months in strict regimen camp and five years of internal exile for "anti-Soviet agitation and propaganda";
Ivan Sokulsky13 January 1981Five years in prison, five years in camp, plus five years of exile for "anti-Soviet agitation and propaganda";
Ivan Kandyba24 July 198110 years special regimen camp plus five years exile for "anti-Soviet agitation and propaganda";
Petro RozumnyConditionally released from camp early in Fall 1981, but was working on a compulsory labor brigade;
Vasyl StriltsivOctober 1981Six years in camp on unknown charges ;
Yaroslav Lesiv15 November 1981Five years of strict regimen camp for "possession of narcotics" ;
Vasyl Sichko4 January 1982Three years strict regimen camp for "possession of narcotics" ;
Yuri LytvynApril 1982Ten years of special regimen camp plus five years of exile for "anti-Soviet agitation and propaganda" ;
Petro SichkoJune 1982three years in strict regimen camp for "anti-Soviet slander"

In Mordovia prisons