Maria Humeniuk

In 1989, Humeniuk became one of the co-founders of the Ternopil Oblast branch of the People's Movement of Ukraine (Ukrainian: Народний рух України, romanized: Narodnyi rukh Ukrainy; abbreviated Rukh). She was later deputy chair and co-chair of Rukh in Ternopil. At the same time, Humeniuk was elected as a deputy head for ideology and information of the Secretariat of the People's Movement of Ukraine as the NRU Secretariat in Kyiv.^[2]

During 1989–1991, Humeniuk organized and headed the Ternopil Oblast branch of the Memorial society.^[1] She was a member of the Ukrainian Helsinki Union and the Ukrainian Republican Party. During that time, she was prosecuted twice for political reasons.^[2]

In 1989, Humeniuk became the founder and editor of the semi-legal newspaper Dzvin under the aegis of Memorial. In 1990, she was elected as a deputy to the Ternopil Oblast Council serving as chair of the Cultural and Spiritual Revival Commission.^[3] There, she prepared a draft decision on the rehabilitation of the Ukrainian Greek-Catholic and Autocephalous Churches".^[2]

Humeniuk was elected as a People's Deputy of Ukraine in the 1990 Ukrainian Supreme Soviet election, representing the city of Ternopil. She was elected from the Democratic Bloc, a coalition that included Rukh. Humeniuk was a member of the Verkhovna Rada Spiritual and Cultural Revival Commission. She authored amendments to the Law "On Military Service".^[2]

Humeniuk took part in hunger strikes as part of the Revolution on Granite in October 1990. On 9 September 2009, she received the Gratitude of the President of Ukraine on the occasion of the formation of Rukh.^[2]

Since 1983, Humeniuk's stories have been published in the Literary Ukraine, the magazine "Soviet Woman", and in the regional press. In 1988, her first prose book, I Live and Love, was published.^[3]

Humeniuk's daughter is Larysa Lebedivna, a poet. Larysa is the author of the poetry books Nioba (2018), Not Eve (2017) and the prose poetry collection Winter Dialogues (2012).