The delegation of Polish MPs visited Kurapaty, a mass execution site near Minsk, and paid tribute to the memory of the victims of Stalinist repression.
Konrad Pawlik, Ambassador of Poland to Belarus, was in attendance on the delegation. The Polish MPs laid a wreath at the memorial cross erected in memory of Polish soldiers killed by Stalin’s secret police, the NKVD, in 1940-1941, many of whom were of Belarusian origin.
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Another wreath was lain to pay tribute to all the victims of Stalin’s regime. Later, the delegates met with representatives of the Polish diaspora in Belarus.
Kurapaty, a place on the outskirts of Minsk, became a grave for over 200,000 people executed by Stalin’s secret police. Later the Communist party repeatedly attempted to shift the blame for shootings on Nazis. In 1994 the then U.S. President Bill Clinton visited Kurapaty. Interestingly, Belarusian leader Alyaksandr Lukashenka has never come to honour the memory of the killed for his 22-year presidency.[/vc_column_text][vc_single_image image=”263308″ img_size=”large”][vc_column_text]Ryszard Terlecki, Deputy Speaker of the Polish Sejm, Poland’s envoy Konrad Pawlik [/vc_column_text][vc_single_image image=”263304″ img_size=”large”][vc_column_text]Honoring memory of Polish officers[/vc_column_text][vc_single_image image=”263292″ img_size=”large”][vc_column_text]Wreath to victims of Stalinist purges[/vc_column_text][vc_single_image image=”263280″ img_size=”large”][vc_column_text]More photos:[/vc_column_text][vc_column_text]
[/vc_column_text][vc_column_text]According to different estimates, 7,000 – 250,000 persons might have been executed and buried in Kurapaty.
On August 2, Poland’s parliamentary delegation met with Uladzimir Andreychanka, Chairman of the House of Representatives of the National Assembly of Belarus, and Mikhail Myasnikovich, Chairman of the Council of the Republic. The meetings with Deputy Foreign Minister Alena Kupchyna and Archbishop Tadeush Kandrusevich are scheduled for Wednesday.
During their stay in Belarus, the Polish MPs are also expected to meet with representatives of local authorities and the Polish population in Baranavichy (Brest region).
belsat.eu
