It has become known that today, at the age of 90, Petro Mykhailovych Franko, honorary chairman of the All-Ukrainian Society of Political Prisoners and Repressed, researcher, writer, and public figure, passed away.
The Lviv community expresses its sincere condolences to the family and friends of the deceased.
“Another heavy loss for the community of Lviv and Ukraine. Political prisoner, prominent researcher, writer, and public figure Petro Franko passed away at the age of 90. He devoted his life to serving Ukraine and commemorating those who suffered repression. His work and perseverance in restoring historical justice will never be forgotten. Eternal memory,” said the mayor of Lviv.
Information about the time and place of the funeral will be announced later.
Reference.
Petro Franko was born on 4 July 1934 in the village of Hlynytsi, Yavoriv district.
At the age of 15, he was imprisoned and sentenced to 5 years in Mordovian camps for his participation in the national liberation struggle. He was rehabilitated in 1991.
Senor Plast.
He is one of the co-founders of the magazine “Freedom of Peoples”. Member of the editorial board of the public and literary magazine of the All-Ukrainian Society of Political Prisoners and Repressed “Zona” (since 2003). Member of the regional editorial board of the scientific and documentary publications “Book of Memory of Ukraine”, “Rehabilitated by History”, “National Book of Memory of the Victims of the Holodomor of 1932-1933 in Ukraine” (2005, 2008, 2009), member of the editorial board of the book “All-Ukrainian Society of Political Prisoners and Repressed: History of Creation and Activities” (Kyiv, 2007).
Member of the National Union of Journalists of Ukraine (2018). Member of the editorial board of the Vasyl Stus Memorial All-Ukrainian Society (since 2018).
Thanks to his efforts, memorial plaques to Yuriy Lypa in Yavoriv district, Petro Franko, Roman Sushko, Patriarch Josyf Slipyj, Roman Shukhevych, Yevhen Konovalets, and Metropolitan Andrey Sheptytsky (1994, 1996, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2004, 2008) were made and installed in Lviv.
He was one of the initiators of the restoration of the USS and UGA war graves on the 38th field of Yanivske and the allocation of the 76th field at Lychakiv Cemetery in Lviv for the burial of fighters for the freedom of Ukraine.
While working with archival documents in 2005, he discovered that there were secret burials in the mass grave of 26 children murdered by the NKVD in Yaniv Cemetery (field 50), who were taken out of Lviv prisons #2 and #4 at night between 1949 and 1951.
For his research and public activities, Petro Franko received numerous honours and awards from city, regional and state authorities, as well as national and international organisations.
