Victory or breather? Developer taking building machines away from Kurapaty mass grave site


After several-day protesting in Kurapaty, the developer decided to take away its building fleet. Politician Zmitser Dashkevich is livestreaming from the scene.

10 days ago, the Belarusian activists began a long-term action in defense of the memorial protesting against the construction of an office building started a few dozen meters from Kurapaty, a place on the outskirts of Minsk and a burial place of Stalinist repression victims. According to them, it is fraudulent as the building permission was granted when the area was considered a protected zone.

The plot on which ‘Belrekonstruktsiya’ company undertook the construction of a four-storey business center was sold by the city authorities at the auction in 2013. In 2014 the protected zone was significantly cut. According to historian Ihar Kuznyatsou, it is highly likely that remains of the victims will be found here. KGB archives which could cast light on the burial plans are classified until now.

Kurapaty is not just the national memorial to the victims of Stalinist repression, it is a site of historical and cultural heritage. Belarusian Voluntary Society for Protection of Monuments appealed to the KGB and city authorities with a statement about possible corruption schemes and violations during the construction project design which is interfering with the protected zone.

On Wednesday, Andrey Shorats, chairman of Minsk city executive committee, met with a group of four people to discuss the conflict. The official promised that construction works near Kurapaty would be suspended for a week. According to politician Pavel Sevyarynets, it was a ‘battling draw’. Despite the decision, the activists refuse to displace the camp of Kurapaty defenders: they demand the construction of the business center be terminated.

“For the developer (the company is among top millionaires), some millions is not an amount. However, we also said: guys, tell us, how much money is needed to make you stop the construction? We would chip in! But they turned down our offer,” Dashkevich said.

On Thursday morning, the developer ordered to minimize any works and take the machines away. The video shows a crane removing building cabins.

As their company never wanted to be involved in any conflict, they decided to suspend the construction of the business center, Ihar Anishchanka, one of the main shareholders of Belrekonstruktsiya, said on Wednesday. According to him, dozens of examinations were carried out, and no one warned the company that the the plot could have any relation to the Kurapaty tragedy.

“We have made a decision to completely stop the construction process, not just freeze it. We have taken the building equipment and workers away from from the site. And now we are waiting for the decision of the city authorities, because it is their jurisdiction. Minsk city executive committee told us to wait, and we thought that it would take a couple of days. But the decision formulation has been delayed; in such a situation, the continuation of work is impossible and even dangerous. One must not build at the place where people are strongly opposed to the construction, where they handcuff themselves to machines,” the businessman stressed.

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