Civilians executed by Nazis during WWII reburied in Lepel District

Eight decades later, Belarusian soil bears witness to Nazi crimes. The remains of 358 civilians executed by the Nazis were reburied with honors today in the Lepel district. The site was discovered on the outskirts of the district center during the investigation of a criminal case on the genocide of the Belarusian people.

Nearly 8,000 people were exterminated in the Lepel district during the occupation. This figure is not final. And even eight decades later, new facts about the genocide of the Belarusian people are coming to light.

Barbed wire, bullet casings, and human bones. A horrific discovery was made last spring near Lepel. During search operations, the remains of 358 civilians were recovered from the pits where they were shot. The Nazis did not even spare infants.

Alina Stelmakh, Director of the Lepel District Museum of Local History:

"Civilians were shot at the intersection of the Lepel and Polotsk roads on suspicion of affiliation with the partisans. There was information that people were shot somewhere in that area, but it was difficult to pinpoint the exact spot because it was a field at the time."

The brutal crime has not remained hidden. Eight decades later, historical justice has been restored. The remains of the victims were reburied with honors.

"My heart is overwhelmed with emotion. Of course, it's very sad, on the one hand, because 358 civilians were brutally tortured by the Nazis during the Great Patriotic War. And yet, on the eve of the Great Victory, these innocent people found their final resting place," the woman said.

"We, as the younger generation, must remember and pass on this compassion to future generations so that this never happens again," she said. Establishing the true scale of Nazi crimes

The Nazi crime has come to light thanks to eyewitness accounts. Witness testimony, as well as archival data, forms the basis of the evidence base in the criminal investigation of the genocide of the Belarusian people.

Viktor Shaban, Deputy Prosecutor of the Vitebsk Region:

"The Vitebsk Region Prosecutor's Office continues to collect evidence against three Nazi criminals who operated in the Vitebsk Region: Vitvitsky, Mezhgravis, and Shibeko. We will not allow anyone to whitewash the atrocities committed on our land by the Nazi occupiers. We will not allow Nazism to be rehabilitated."

The search for previously unknown graves of genocide victims is underway across the country. The remains of thousands of people have already been recovered from execution pits. Belarus is doing everything possible to establish the true scale of Nazi crimes.