Belarus’ Information Minister: media space gets quickly filled with alternative versions if the truth about fascists’ atrocities supressed

The strength of Belarusians is in their memory, in their remembrance of all those who were killed, of the atrocities and the tragedy of their land – as stated by Information Minister Vladimir Pertsov at today’s solemn flower-laying ceremony at the Khatyn State Memorial Complex

The Information Minister shared his impressions upon arrival to Khatyn, “No matter how many times we come here, with managers and media workers, our feelings are the same as they were in the past – in schoolyears when we were brought here on excursions. My heart freezes now as it did many years ago – upon understanding the tragedy that happened here, and the overall tragedy that our land suffered. After all, every Belarusian region has ‘sisters’ of Khatyn: the villages burnt down together with their residents. Actually, the media space is getting filled quickly with a variety of alternative versions or even excuses for what happened when we do not speak openly of these facts.”

Mr. Pertsov urged everyone to come to Khatyn, bring schoolchildren here and – acting as responsible parents – ‘to show the younger generation what happened on our land’. “This should never repeat again. We need to explain what our country could have been like if a third of our population had not been destroyed during the Great Patriotic War. Children – who could have become great artists, architects or politicians – were simply lost,” he added.