Belarus’ Prosecutor General: if it hadn’t been for victorious July 1944, Belarusians would have ceased to exist as ethnic group

On the eve of Great Victory Day, Belarus’ Prosecutor General Andrei Shved, together with his colleagues, took part in the nationwide campaign – Belarus Remembers. We Remember Everyone – laying flowers at the Military Cemetery in Minsk, where more than half a thousand underground workers, soldiers and officers of the Soviet Army who liberated the capital from the Nazi invaders are buried

Speaking to journalists, Andrei Shved underlined that the Belarusian society understands that fascism and Nazism must be fought every day, because if this evil comes to earth, it is always accompanied by grief, tears, and the destruction of innocent people.

“During the Great Patriotic War, Belarus was perhaps one of the few, or perhaps the only country in the world that experienced all known forms of genocide. Discovering today all the new facts of the atrocities of the Nazis and their accomplices, we say that there should be no white spots. This terrible history needs to be shown in full, bluntly,” the Prosecutor General said.

Speaking about the investigation of the criminal case of the genocide, Andrei Shved noted an important detail, “As of July 1944, in those territories where there was no partisan movement and resistance, such an ethnic group as Belarusians, as citizens of the BSSR, actually ceased to exist. This means that by this time, the Nazis and their accomplices had completed their villainous plan for the total destruction of the civilian population in the territories they occupied. If it hadn’t been for the victorious July, if it hadn’t been for the Great Victory of May 1945, we wouldn’t have been here.”

Schoolchildren of the Young Prosecutor specialised legal classes from Dzerzhinsk also came to honour the memory of the victims and lay flowers. The Prosecutor General underlined the importance of passing on the experience and traditions to the younger generation, “Our youngsters must know the truth not only about the atrocities that were committed on our land, but also about the exploits of people. After all, they withstood, giving us life and ensuring the development of our country. Therefore, the participation of young people in such events is a very good and kind sign. We pass on not only the traditions of public prosecution, but also the memory that we keep to future generations.”