Dutch House of Representatives Recognises Holodomor as Genocide of Ukrainian People
The Dutch House of Representatives, the lower house of the country's parliament, has recognised the Holodomor of 1932-1933 as a genocide of the Ukrainian people.
[The Holodomor is a famine of 1932-1933 artificially created by Stalin's repressive regime in the heyday of collectivisation, that is, the forced seizure of private property and the organisation of collective farms. As a result of those events, according to various estimates, from four to six million Ukrainians died due to the lack of food, mainly in rural areas – ed.]
Announcement on Friday morning (7 July) by President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, as reported by European Pravda
The head of state welcomed this decision on his Twitter feed.
"Calling a spade a spade is a key prerequisite for justice and preventing the recurrence of such terrible crimes," the president posted.
Zelenskyy thanked the Netherlands separately for the strong and comprehensive support of Ukraine in its struggle for its own future and the future of the entire free world.
Вітаю визнання Палатою представників 🇳🇱 Голодомору геноцидом. Називати речі своїми іменами – це ключова передумова справедливості та недопущення повторення таких страшних злочинів. Вдячний 🇳🇱 за сильну та комплексну підтримку 🇺🇦 в нашій боротьбі за майбутнє 🇺🇦 та всього вільного…
— Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) July 7, 2023
Foreign Minister Dmitry Kuleba called the decision "an important step" in establishing the historical truth.
"I am grateful to the Netherlands for taking a firm position on the need for accountability for past and present atrocities," Kuleba wrote on Twitter.
The House of Representatives of the Netherlands has recognized the 1932-1933 Holodomor as genocide. It is an important step in establishing historical truth. I am grateful to the Netherlands for taking a firm stance on the need of accountability for past and present atrocities.
— Dmytro Kuleba (@DmytroKuleba) July 7, 2023
Previously, the Holodomor has been recognised as genocide of the Ukrainian people by the parliaments of 27 countries in the world, including in Europe. In March, this step was taken by the Belgian House of Representatives, the Lower House of the Belgian Parliament, and Iceland's Parliament. With the Netherlands, that figure has risen to 28.
By now, parliaments of almost thirty countries have recognised the Holodomor of the Ukrainian people as an act of genocide. The European Parliament has also joined the recognition campaign.