ZJEDNOCZENIE ŁEMKÓW
(THE UNION OF LEMKOS-UKRAINIANS
IN POLAND)

42. Congress of Federal Union
of European Nationalities

Pörtschach am Wörthersee/Austria

8th May, 1997

RESOLUTION  1997 - 03

The Union of Lemkos, a representative of Polish citizens with Ukrainian nationality expresses their deep concern for the expelling  of Ukrainian people 50 years ago from their homes and for its effects 150,000 people were deported in 1947 Operation "Vistula" for their non-Polish origin only from fatherlands: Lemkivshchyna (Lemkoland), Nadsiannia (the territories along the San river), Kholmshchyna (the Chełm district), Pidlashshsha (the Podlesie region east of Warsaw). They were dispersed later in the northern and western part of the country acquired by Poloand after World War Two to divest them of national character.

As a result of deportation a thousand-year-long cultural continuity was broken, the expelled were deprived of their material and spiritual heritage, their presence at former homes no more mentioned. 1947-49 161 minority people died in Jaworzno cocentration camp tortured or exhausted, 4200 people kept imprisoned without any sentence. It was devised to exterminate or at least to intrimidate the educated and the leaders above all. The deported were not allowed to retain any individual or common property including that of Uniat Churche and Community organizations, to return to their homes, to learn their native language or to listen to it even during the holy mass. In return for farms they had left they vere given the holidings owned till 1945 by Germans (one for a couple of families) if any, most of them robbed and devastated.

To justify the banishment a negative image of an Ukrainian bandit was persistently propagated. After a long period of propaganda, more then a half of the Poles hates or dislikes the Ukrainians and does not want to have Ukrainian neighbours. The last 8 years of democratic translation did not make substantial amends for the wrong done and did not ease hard feelings of the victims who had expected it.

The Union of Lemkos-Ukrainians calls upon the members of the Federal Union of European Nationalities and the FUEN Congress to make representation on its behalf with international bodies, such as the United Nations, the European Parliament, the Council of Europe, the European Union and their representive governments in the following issues:

1.  The  Polish  Republic  should  condemn   the  expelling  of  the  Ukrainians during Operation "Vistula" and all violations of law related to it.  All property taken away should be retrieved  - the same  if  possible  or other in return. All people affected (or their heirs) should be given  permissions to come back home.

2.   All  prisoners  of  Jaworzno  concentration  camp,  where  a  crime   against   mankind  was  commited as confirmed by a public prosecutor, should acquire rights of the repressed in the Polish Republic.

3. The 300,000 of dispersed  Ukrainian  people should be guaranteed their own parliamentary  representation by the electoral law og the Polish Republic.

4.   The traditional  names  of  places in  minority regions should be repeaced and the names of places  in  two  languages  introduced.  The  use of minority tongue should be  permitted in public  places  and  offices.  The  information  about  ethnic  minorities  should  be included  in the curricula to remove prejudices and xenophobia.