In September 1997 the Minister of Citizenship and Immigration of Canada
served Wasyl Odynsky with documents seeking to deport him for allegedly making
false representations about his wartime activities in his application for
Canadian citizenship. Wasyl Odynsky has not been charged with war crimes.
Despite the lack of evidence of war criminality against Wasyl Odynsky,
the government of Canada is continuing with deportation proceedings against
him.
Mr. Odynsky's trial began in January 1999 and is still going. It is
estimated that his legal fees will exceed $250,000. Like Ivan Demjanjuk
before him, even if Mr. Odynsky is successful, this trial will have cost
him his life savings. The financial strain is more than he and his family can
bear and his defense must not falter for lack of funds. The friends of the
Odynsky family are turning to the Ukrainian community for its support. If this
battle is won, maybe we will live to see the day that our people are no
longer persecuted as scapegoats for crimes that they did not commit. Please give generously to the Wasyl Odynsky Defense Fund.
Donations in support of Wasyl Odynsky may be sent to: