WASHINGTON,
D.C. – U.S. Representative Jan Schakowsky (D-IL) today urged the government
of Ukraine to “take in” Bohdan Koziy, a Nazi war criminal who has been
ordered to leave of Costa Rica after living in that country for 15 years.
In
a letter to Ukrainian President H.E. Leonid Kuchma, Schakowsky and more
than 20 of her colleagues urged the President to take in Koziy, who is
a Ukrainian native, and to consider this opportunity to hold him accountable
for his crimes.
They
wrote, “ Since Mr. Koziy is a native of Ukraine, it is our hope that your
government will cooperate with the government of Costa Rica and take in
Mr. Koziy. In the interest of justice, we urge you not to prevent
Mr. Koziy from returning to Ukraine and consider the opportunity presented
by the Government of Costa Rica to hold him accountable for his crimes.”
Koziy
was stripped of his U.S. citizenship in 1982 after his identity was revealed,
and he was identified as a Nazi war criminal. He took part
in numerous anti-Jewish crimes in the Ukraine and was a member of the Nazi-run
Ukrainian police.
The
members added in their letter, “He was found by a U.S. Federal Court to
have single-handedly murdered a 4 year-old Jewish girl by shooting her
at point-blank range as she pleaded with him for her life outside a police
station in Lysiec, Ukraine, in the autumn of 1943. German courts have also
found that he personally carried out this and other crimes.”
A
copy of the letter is attached.
{attached}
March
23, 2000
The
Honorable H.E. Leonid Kuchma
President
of Ukraine
Kiev,
Ukraine
Dear
Mr. President:
Bohdan
Koziy is a Nazi war criminal who has enjoyed undeserved sanctuary in
Costa
Rica for the past 15 years, and now that government has ordered him to
leave
the country.
Since
Mr. Koziy is a native of Ukraine, it is our hope that your government
will
cooperate with the government of Costa Rica and take in Mr. Koziy.
He
was stripped of his American citizenship in 1982 after his identity was
established
in U.S. courts and confirmed by the German government. He was
found
by a U.S. Federal Court to have single-handedly murdered a
4
year-old Jewish girl by shooting her at point-blank range as she
pleaded
with him for her life outside a police station in Lysiec, Ukraine,
in
the autumn of 1943. German courts have also found that he personally
carried
out this and other crimes.
He
also took part in numerous other anti-Jewish actions during the war as
a
member
of the notorious Nazi-run Ukrainian police. The Office of Special
Investigations
of the U.S. Justice Department attempted to expel him from
the
country but Koziy fled to Costa Rica in 1984 before his court-ordered
deportation
to the Soviet Union could be carried out.
In the interest of justice, we urge you not to prevent Mr. Koziy from returning
to Ukraine and consider the opportunity presented by the Government of
Costa Rica to hold him accountable for his crimes. Thank you for
your consideration. We look forward to your response.
Sincerely,
Jan
Schakwosky
Member
of Congress
List
of Members’ Signatures-Kuchma-Koziy:
Congressman
Tom Lantos
Congressman
Anthony Weiner
Congressman
Jim McDermott
Congressman
Jerrold Nadler
Congressman
Lloyd Doggett
Congressman
Martin Frost
Congressman
Charles Rangel
Congresswoman
Constance Morella
Congressman
Jim McGovern
Congressman
Mark Foley
Congressman
Stephen Horn
Congressman
Elliot Engel
Congressman
John Porter
Congressman
Robert Wexler
Congressman
Frank Pallone
Congressman
Sherrod Brown
Congressman
Henry Waxman
Congressman
Bob Franks
Congresswoman
Nita Lowey
Congressman
Joe Crowley
Congressman
Rod Blagojevich |