Prosecutor General: victory over fascism in 1945 to enable us to defend our interests today

Belarus’ Prosecutor General Andrei Shved has met with Minsk’s schoolchildren to tell them about the investigation of a criminal case on the genocide of the Belarusian people during WWII, also sharing his belief that the country’s history must be cherished and remembered

“Such topics as the historical justice, the heroic past, the Great Patriotic War, the feat of the Belarusian people, and the genocide are coming to the fore at present. Unfortunately, in recent years, those who lost the war in 1945, especially their descendants, are taking revenge. They are trying to distort everything, to present history in a favourable light for them but, most importantly, for several decades, they have been trying to erase a great feat – of which we are the heirs – from memory," the Prosecutor General addressed young people.

Mr. Shved stressed that Belarus is a place in Europe where wars were common, and the thesis that the Belarusian land is a large mass grave is not a figure of speech, but a reality.

The Prosecutor General expressed confidence that the modern young generation will study the history of Belarus more consciously and will not allow the tragedy of the people who survived a bloody and brutal war to be erased from memory.

“Understanding of the importance of the victory over fascism as the greatest evil of mankind in 1945 and of the real feat that our great-grandparents performed will enable you to defend your interests, territory and Motherland with an inner moral backbone. The latter, as history shows, makes it possible to win and survive. Importantly, you should realise: if we forget history, we will cease to exist and will disappear – as a nation and as a state,” Mr. Shved stressed.