Levko Lukyanenko: “Hero of Ukraine”

President Viktor Yushchenko of Ukraine has conferred the title “Hero of Ukraine” on parliamentarian Levko Lukianenko. According to the presidential press service, the award is in recognition of his civic valor, selfless dedication in championing the ideals of freedom and democracy, and meritorious contribution to the building and development of the Ukrainian state. Levko Lukyanenko was born in 1927, graduated from the Law Faculty of Lomonosov University (Moscow), and after serving in the army, worked in district party committees in Lviv oblast. In 1959 he organized a party called the Ukrainian Workers’ and Peasants’ Union. In 1961 he was arrested, tried, and sentenced to death. The sentence was later commuted to 15 years in a maximum security prison camp. In 1976 he became a founding member of the Ukrainian Helsinki Watch Group. He was arrested again in 1977 and was sentenced to 10 years in a maximum security camp and five years of exile. He was elected a member of parliament in 1990, 1994, and 2004. In the current Ukrainian parliament he is a member of the BYuT faction. In 1992-1993 he served as Ukraine’s ambassador to Canada. He is the co-author of the Declaration of Ukrainian National Sovereignty and the author of the Act of the Proclamation of Ukrainian Independence.