New excavations are underway at the Sandarmokh Clearing in Karelia which holds the last remains of thousands of victims of the Great Terror of 1937-1938, writes Halya Coynash. Any pretence that the excavations by a body linked to the Russian Minister of Culture are not aimed at rewriting history has been dispelled by a letter … Continue reading Barbaric excavations again under way at Sandarmokh
Background
essential reading (charges, defence, timeline, etc)
Sandarmokh — Moscow press conference
Just as 80 years ago, arbitrary and lawless acts today define Sandarmokh. At a press conference in Moscow, activists and public figures have spoken out in defence of the Karelian memorial to the victims of Stalin's Terror.
What is going on?
The other day the latest hearing in the new trial of Yury DMITRIEV took place. It has been six weeks since the Petrozavodsk City Court, in closed regime, heard more evidence from the prosecution. This time round, clearly, there is no rush to convict and, it would seem, a preference for people elsewhere, e.g. supporters … Continue reading What is going on?
Dates Official and Unofficial, 2018
The contest over the form remembrance should take, on what date and in which locations is a crucial part of the Dmitriev Affair. At its heart lies the 5 August Day of Remembrance at Sandarmokh, which is inextricably linked with Yury DMITRIEV and a memorial complex unlike any other. For the last two years Dmitriev … Continue reading Dates Official and Unofficial, 2018
A place of execution
"They made a road to Koirankangas from Rzhevka. From our hill we could see clearly: a vehicle went there and then it stopped. A minute passed, perhaps, and then shots were heard. We avoided going that way. Everyone knew they were shooting people there. Murdered people were found there." Anni Arikainen (b. 1918), Kuivozi, Vsevolozhsky … Continue reading A place of execution