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Symon Petliura   Decree of Cabinet   18-Aug-1919   Enemies organize pogroms
The Ukrainian and Jewish peoples both of whom work at the reconstruction of the Ukrainian Democratic Republic, find themselves in the face of the common enemies who are trying to sow discord and anarchy in order to destroy the Ukrainian Republic which they hate.
Decree of the Cabinet Council
of the
Ukrainian Democratic Republic.

August 18, 1919.
(Record of the Proceedings No. 171)

The Cabinet Council, after hearing the report of the Minister for Jewish Affairs, Mr. P.A. Krasny, on the situation as it appeared in connection with the anti-Jewish pogroms in the Ukraine � particularly in Kiev � and in connection with the reaction of public opinion abroad, resolve as follows:

The Ukrainian and Jewish peoples both of whom work at the reconstruction of the Ukrainian Democratic Republic, find themselves in the face of the common enemies who are trying to sow discord and anarchy in order to destroy the Ukrainian Republic which they hate.  For this purpose your enemies organize pogroms, spin provocative news about pogroms in the Ukraine so as to exploit them for their people � with the help of the Polish ruling classes, or of the Denikin reactionaries.  In deliberately lying and provocative reports they are changing arbitrarily the places of the pogroms which are arranged in the Ukraine by the Bolsheviks and by the reactionary clique who are in close connection with Denikin's and Polish reactionary circles' secret plans.  In mendacious publications and in public letters addressed to the leading representatives of European countries, all these happenings are charged to the account of the government of the Ukrainian Democratic Republic, although its aim is to suppress vigorously all pogroms.

In view of the fact that such provocations and aims of the Polish and Denikin reactionaries endanger the struggle for freedom of the Ukrainian Republic as well as the peaceful coexistence of the peoples of the Ukraine, the government of the Ukrainian Democratic Republic have set themselves the most urgent task of doing away with all possibility of provocations, pogroms or other excesses, and of calling to account all persons hostile to the Ukrainian State, who are doing the treacherous pogrom work in the Ukraine.

The Government has decided:

1.  To make at once a proposal to the Commander-in-Chief, Petlura that he issue an order by which all commanders of the respective bodies of troops, from the lowest to the highest ones, would be called to account for negligence and tolerating pogrom excesses, and that they would be immediately arrested as traitors and handed over to a special court-martial which would impose upon them the severest penalty, including the death sentence.

2.  To issue an order in the name of the Government and in the name of the Commander-in-Chief to the Ukrainian partisans on the other side of the battlefront that they also 1. should take a vigorous action against the instigators of pogroms, 2. fight against particular treacherous pogrom bands and annihilate them � always remembering that the army of the Ukrainian Democratic Republic does not tolerate pogroms on its victorious march and inflicts the severe punishment upon all the guilty ones.

3.  To appoint immediately a special government commission with extensive powers of investigating pogroms and of combating them; the said commission to be composed of one representative from the following offices: The Commander-in-Chief, the Inspector General, the Minister of Justice, the Minister of Internal Affairs, and the Minister for Jewish Affairs.  The Commission should proceed at once to the frontline to the area of liberated cities and other places of the Ukrainian Democratic Republic.  The Commander-in-Chief should be advised to order an authorization with full powers to the Commission.

4.  Through inspections, the bodies of troops and the commissioners of the Ukrainian Democratic Republic should be informed about the foreign provocative work of the enemies of the Ukrainian Republic, who exploit the pogrom excesses for their own purposes.

5.  By means of a special report from the Prime Minister, to inform the Directorate of the Ukrainian Democratic Republic of this Decree, and to manifest the Government's firm determination and effort in the direction of removing completely any possibility of pogroms in the Ukraine.

6.  To issue an appropriate proclamation of the government to the people.

7.  The Minister for Press and Information should initiate an intensive campaign against pogrom arrangers; inform the foreign press and foreign public about the actual state of affairs, and protest against the outrageous slandering of the government of the Ukrainian Democratic Republic.

8.  The Minister of Justice should at once take steps that all those who are guilty of pogrom excesses, i.e. those who already have been arrested as well as those who may be arrested, should be handed over to a special court.

9.  This Decree is to be made public.

(Ukraina, August 21, 1919.)

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