Prosecutor General Andrei Shved took part in the reburial of the remains of civilians in the Ivanovshchina tract near Logoisk

A ceremony of reburial of the remains of civilians found in the Ivanovschina tract near Logoisk was held with the participation of the Prosecutor General of the Republic of Belarus Andrei Shved as part of investigation of the criminal case on genocide.

“Today we pay tribute to the memory of the innocent victims of that terrible war. What was seen during the excavations is terrifying because of inhuman cruelty. This place is filled with pain that cannot be soothed. Hundreds of families will remain here forever, their hopes, dreams, and future were destroyed in an instant by the cold-blooded hand of the Nazis,” Andrei Shved said, addressing those present at the event.

For reference. Up to 1944 the Germans and their accomplices continued to bring tortured civilians, partisans, and Red Army soldiers to the Ivanovshchina tract in the Logoisk district. During the years of occupation, starting from August 1941, at least 12 major punitive operations were carried out in the territory of Logoisk district and nearby areas, accompanied by mass extermination of people.

During the investigation of the criminal case on genocide, it has been established that German formations were involved in mass extermination of the civilian population of the Logoisk district: the 1st SS motorized brigade, the Barkholdt combat group, the Dirlewanger SS battalion, the 2nd German SS police regiment, the 1st reinforced tank company, the 1st sapper and 2nd mortar platoons, the 26th Latvian police battalion, the 118th Ukrainian police battalion, as well as collaborators from the local police.

“What was seen during the excavations is terrifying because of inhuman cruelty. According to experts, more than half of the remains recovered at this site belong to women and children. The age of the victims is from infancy to 70 years old,” Andrei Shved noted.

The Prosecutor General paid special attention to the inadmissibility of distorting historical facts and glorifying Nazism: “Thousands of the dead are tried to be presented as victims of repressions despite numerous evidence, archival materials, eyewitness’ statements, expert opinions. Despite the public coverage of the results achieved in the course of the investigation, submission of the corresponding information to competent authorities of foreign States, an attack was launched... Why? Because they are afraid of the truth. Such facts will be given a fundamental evaluation. Just last week, the Prosecutor General’s Office initiated a criminal case on the fact of dissemination in the Internet resources of information about the denial of genocide of the Belarusian people.”

“We see how unfriendly States are trying to distort events of historical significance for our people. To this purpose, technologies are used, primarily related to information impact on the younger generation. Numerous information attacks against our State take place on the Internet, historically significant events are being distorted, and the ground is created for the glorification of Nazism. Destruction of monuments – evidence of the heroism of the Soviet people – is actively covered. There is a constant throw-in of unreliable, false information,” the head of the supervisory agency added.

In his speech, Andrei Shved stated that it is important to make preservation of the historical truth “a matter not only for the State, but also for every citizen.”

“We must promptly respond to modern threats and reliably guard the independence and the peaceful future of our country. Every Belarusian citizen, starting from an early age, should honor the feat of his ancestors and remember the bloody trail that the fascist executioners left on Belarusian soil. To this end, appropriate work with young minds should be carried out, starting at kindergarten, in schools and universities. We must not allow Nazism in any of its manifestations to gain a second wind. We all must do everything possible so that this does not happen again,” the Prosecutor General concluded.

A memorial service for the dead was performed by representatives of three religious confessions of Belarus. After that, a memorial stone was unveiled, to which those present laid flowers.

At the end of the event, Andrei Shved talked to representatives of the media.

Photo: Prosecutor General’s Office

Department for Interaction
with Mass Media and Editorial Work
of the Prosecutor General’s Office