Belarus speaks out for preserving historical truth about mass heroism of Belarusian people from the OSCE platform

The delegation of Belarus together with the delegation of Russia on June 22 in Vienna initiated a discussion on the tragic date of June 22, 1941: the outbreak of the Great Patriotic War as a separate agenda item of the OSCE Permanent Council. The Permanent Mission of the Republic of Belarus to the OSCE in Vienna told BELTA correspondent that the initiative was also supported by the delegations of Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan.

The delegation of Belarus on the occasion of the tragic date of the beginning of the Great Patriotic War said: "June 22, 1941 is a day of memory and mourning for all Belarusians. It is the date which divided the life of our people into before and after. More than eight decades ago, the Soviet Union was subjected to the most terrible invasion in world history. The goal of that aggression was not just conquest, but total annihilation and enslavement of the survivors."

Belarusian diplomats pointed out: "Even before the attack on the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, one of the main objectives of the German leadership had declared the seizure of the necessary "living space" for the prosperity of the Third Reich, its colonization, the liberation of the territory from the "surplus" indigenous population.

An armada, which brought destruction and slavery, moved to our land. Mass extermination of the population of Belarus was set in motion: shootings and gallows, gas chambers and incineration, famine and the spread of epidemics (contamination with typhus and other infectious diseases) were used.

"Belarus stands for the preservation of historical truth and memory about the Great Patriotic War, the mass heroism of its people," noted the Belarusian delegation. - A law "On the genocide of the Belarusian people" has been adopted in Belarus. It provides legal recognition of the genocide of the Belarusian people, committed by Nazi criminals, and introduces criminal responsibility for its public denial. In April 2021 the Office of the Prosecutor General of Belarus instituted and is currently investigating a criminal case involving the genocide of civilians committed by Nazi Germany and its allies during the Great Patriotic War and the post-war period in the territory of the Belarusian Soviet Socialist Republic.

As a result of investigation it has been established, that during Nazi occupation of Belarus more than 3 million people were killed, more than 380 thousand people were turned into slaves, more than 200 towns were destroyed, more than 9,5 thousand villages were burned down and more than 260 Nazi concentration camps were established. The evidence collected in this criminal case confirms that Belarus has been subjected to all forms of genocide provided for by the UN Convention "On the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide".

That is why, in March 2022, the President of Belarus signed a decree to establish a new name for the commemorative date of June 22. Now in Belarus, this day is celebrated as the Day of National Remembrance of the victims of the Great Patriotic War and the genocide of the Belarusian people.