Monday
10 august 2009
20:40
By logic, Yushchenko has to give Stepan Bavdera Hero of Ukraine medal
A number of Ukrainian diaspora organizations have appealed to Pres Yushchenko to award Stepan Bandera, the WWII leader of Ukraine nationalists, the medal of the Hero of Ukraine, the country’s highest decoration.According to Kommersant-Ukrayina, the open letter to Yushchenko to posthumously award Bandera was written by the League of Ukrainians of Canada, the League of Ukrainian Women of Canada, the Union of Ukrainian Youth of Canada and the Association of Veteran UPA Fighters in Canada.
“We are convinced that a landmark step on the way of restoring historical justice and truth about Bandera and the OUN-UPA struggle for liberation which he headed would be to award Bandera the highest medal of the Hero of Ukraine,” the letter runs.
The authors remind that 2009 will see the 100th anniversary of Bandera’ birth and the 50th anniversary of his murder, a tangible reason to award Bandera, they say.
“The president of Ukraine should be logical: he gave the Hero of Ukraine medal to Roman Shukhevych, one of Bandera’s assistants. Therefore, Yushchenko cannot ignore our appeal to award Banderra, the leader of OUN-UPA,” the Svoboda leader Oleh Tyahnybok says.
Earlier, Ternopil Oblast council deputies urged Viktor Yushchenko to give Stepan Bandera the Hero of Ukraine medal.
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zmolo.com
I agree giving Stepan Bandera the Hero Medal of Ukraine is like giving Hitler a medal for citizen of the year. Or Albert Spiders an award for best Architect, or Stalin a medal for best head of state.
Put the notion to the test and hold a pubic referendum and see who wins.
Stepan Bandera was a war criminal and should have been tried as such. He killed many Ukrainians and Jews alike, Lets not forget that he fought with the NAZI's not against them during WWII.