A dialogue platform «Genocide of the Belarusian people: memory and pain of the Vitebsk land» was held in Vitebsk

Today, a dialogue platform "Genocide of the Belarusian People: Memory and Pain of the Vitebsk Land" was held at the Vitebsk State University named after P. Masherov. The event was part of a week dedicated to the celebration of the 30th anniversary of the Constitution of Belarus. It was attended by representatives of the Pridvinsky Region Prosecutor's Office, the State Committee of Forensic Examinations for the Vitebsk Region, as well as the university's administration, faculty, and students.

As emphasized by the Prosecutor of the Vitebsk Region, Igor Ukrainets, in recent years, outright fakes about the Great Patriotic War have become actively disseminated, primarily by the so-called "collective West." Attempts are being made to rewrite its history, diminish the feat of the Soviet soldier-liberator, and downplay the scale of the tragedy of the Belarusian people.

- As it turned out, more than one generation has grown up in our country that simply does not know the true truth about the most terrible war in human history, when genocide was elevated to the status of state policy of certain countries of the current "collective West," - noted Igor Ukrainets. - Among Belarusian youth, whose minds and hearts were primarily subjected to negative influence, inciting hostility and discord for political and ideological reasons, the criminality of Nazism was leveled. And only thanks to the timely intervention of the state did this trend not acquire a mass character in the Republic of Belarus.

Igor Ukrainets recalled that it was these anti-social and anti-patriotic events that were factors contributing to the decision by the Prosecutor General of Belarus in April 2021 to initiate a criminal case on the fact of the genocide of the Belarusian people during the Great Patriotic War and the post-war period.

- Over the course of an investigation lasting more than two years, new facts of the horrific crimes of the Nazis on Belarusian soil are being uncovered, - the regional prosecutor continued. - Belarus was subjected to all forms of genocide provided for by the UN Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide. As part of large-scale work to foster patriotism in the civil society of the Republic of Belarus, primarily among youth, visits to search event (excavation) sites are being organized. Work also continues to perpetuate the memory of the fallen civilians and defenders of the Fatherland, preserve historical truth, and prevent the glorification of Nazi criminals and their accomplices.

The Prosecutor of the Vitebsk region stated that the investigation into the genocide of the Belarusian people during the Great Patriotic War is a tribute to the memory of the fallen and contributes to establishing and preserving historical justice, serving the implementation of the anti-fascist principle: "Never again!".

The State Committee of Forensic Examinations is also carrying out significant work to preserve historical memory.

As noted by the Head of the Department of the State Committee of Forensic Examinations for the Vitebsk Region, Andrey Pozdnyakov, on the eve of the 80th anniversary of the liberation of Belarus from the Nazi invaders, we must all make every effort to preserve everything we have. Constitution Day is a holiday that carries a unifying principle and allows everyone to feel their responsibility for the fate of the Motherland. Many modern achievements have become possible precisely thanks to the Basic Law.

- I believe it is very important to honor the heroic memory of our ancestors, not to forget their feat during the Great Patriotic War, - says Tatiana Visotskas, a third-year student of the Faculty of Humanities and Language Communications at VSU named after P. Masherov, a participant in the event. - Visiting places like Khatyn, Shunevka, one gains a deeper understanding of the pain of the Belarusian people's tragedy. After trips to the sites of burned villages, you rethink certain moments of your life, and begin to appreciate even more the peaceful time in which we live.

"Vitebskiye Vesti"