Chairman of Belarus’ House of Representatives: we condemn fascism in all its manifestations by establishing new facts of genocide
On visiting the excavation site of a mass grave of genocide victims in the Uruchye forest area near Minsk today, the Chairman of the House of Representatives of the National Assembly, Igor Sergeyenko, made a statement
“By establishing new facts of the punishers’ atrocities committed on our land during the war, we condemn fascism in all its manifestations and bring information to the world community. It is also important that our people, especially the younger generation who have grown up in a calm, peaceful environment, should see and know what was happening in reality,” Mr. Sergeyenko said.
According to the Chairman of Belarus’ House of Representatives, Belarus has taken all measures to protect historical truth and memory. “The issues of preserving historical truth and memory are reflected in the country’s updated Constitution; the document was adopted by referendum in 2022. In addition, the law On Genocide of Belarusian People was developed and adopted in the same year. Therefore, there are all legal norms that regulate the issues in this area," he noted.
In turn, Prosecutor General Andrei Shved presented information about the facts of Nazi policy and genocide. The parliamentarians got acquainted with copies of documents, photos and maps, also visiting the mass graves. According to archival documents, the occupiers brought civilians and soldiers from Minsk and its suburbs to the site and shot them down in 1941-1944. The dead bodies were then thrown into a pit, creating several layers – to be further covered with soil. Since 2021, nineteen graves have been discovered on the territory of this forest area alone (16 of them were found in 2023). Moreover, eleven of them were not mentioned in any archival document. Five graves found last year have been examined by the prosecutor's investigation team, and the remains of allegedly 742 people, including children, women and the elderly, have been removed.
