Yesterday, I was very proud to propose a motion in the House of Commons, officially recognising the Holodomor as a genocide against the Ukrainian people.
Only twice previously had the House of Commons officially declared a genocide – in relation to the Yazidis in Syria and Iraq in 2016, and against the Uighurs in China in 2021.
For over 10 years, I have campaigned to secure official recognition of the Holodomor as a genocide against the Ukrainian people. The Holodomor was a forced famine, arranged by the USSR in Ukraine in 1932/33, during which millions of Ukrainians died. Stalin attempted to destroy the very concept of Ukraine through the Holodomor.
I first hosted a debate in Parliament on this issue in 2013, on the 80th anniversary of the tragedy, but it has taken until 2023 for me to secure a debate on a substantive motion, whereby the House can come to a real decision on the issue.
Of course, this issue is even more relevant, with worrying evidence of war crimes currently ongoing by Russians in Ukraine, and the vast majority of Ukraine’s allies have supported Ukraine by declaring the Holodomor as a genocide.
Happily, yesterday the House of Commons unanimously resolved to support my motion, and I was delighted by the cross-party nature of the MPs who were in favour of genocide recognition.
I am pleased for my local Ukrainian community in Mid Derbyshire, who for many years have asked me to support recognition of the Holodomor, and also for our Ukrainian allies facing such awful circumstances in Ukraine currently, who have told me that they will be buoyed by the support at this difficult moment.
You can read the full transcript of the debate here.
