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Up to 1.6 million people killed in Belarus during Stalin's purges, historian says

Up to 1.6 million people were killed in Belarus during the Stalin-era purges, historian Ihar Kuznyatsow said a round-table discussion held in Minsk on Monday to look back at the Stalin era.

Authorities, however, claim that no more than 600,000 Belarusians fell victim to Stalin's purges, the historian said.

“This year marks the 75th anniversary of the Great Purges,” he said. “They have already become past for many countries, but they are both the past and present for us. We could not skip the issue, and we should traditionally announce this year the Year of Commemoration. It is nice that the authorities have declared this year the Year of the Book. We hope that more books on the history of the purges in Belarus will come out. It is also part of the country’s spiritual legacy.”

Mr. Kuznyatsow disputed Alyaksandr Lukashenka’s claim that no Polish army officers were executed by Stalin`s NKVD secret police on the territory of Belarus in 1939 and 1940. He said that at least 3,870 Polish army officers had been executed in Belarus in the period. "As many as 5,772 of those executed in Minsk are known to have officially been exonerated. Twenty percent of them were Poles. The information comes from the KGB and the Supreme Court.”

“Keeping silent about this now, 75 years later, means insulting those killed,” said Mr. Kuznyatsow. “It is now alleged that a Belarusian list has never existed, as no Poles were killed in the country. But it is impossible to hide the truth today. Ukraine, as well as Russia has a list. Finally, we made last year a documentary for Belsat TV, which refers to documents of [Russia’s] Federal Security Service, suggesting that there is a Belarusian list. It is not really important whether it is held by Moscow or has been destroyed. The fact just should be recognized.” //BelaPAN