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Flowers laid in memory of victims of political repression and famine in Astana
Today, the Alley of Writers in Astana has become a place of memory for the victims of political repressions. Representatives of the akimat, activists, social activists, schoolchildren and other residents of the capital came here to lay flowers, a Kazpravda.kz correspondent reports .
The ceremony of laying flowers at the monuments of Mailin, Zhansugurov, Seifullin took place today in Astana.
Doctor of Historical Sciences Marat Absemetov noted that today Kazakhstanis commemorate those who died from famine in the 20-30s of the last century, who were innocently convicted during the years of collectivization and subsequent periods, as well as deported peoples and prisoners of war who died on the territory of Kazakhstan.
Absemetov said that the first wave of rehabilitation began in 1993, when he and a group of scientists traveled to Leningrad, Moscow, Kiev, Kazan to raise archival documents in order to publish the works of Alikhan Bukeikhanov, Akhmet Baitursynov, Myrzhakyp Dulatov.
He recalled that in 2020, a presidential decree was issued on the establishment of a state commission for the full rehabilitation of victims of political repression. However, today not all victims, according to the historian, have been rehabilitated.
“A lot of documents are only being declassified. Some are still closed for political reasons. Millions of cases are yet to be explored. The descendants of prisoners of war come to Kazakhstan, look for the graves of their ancestors and find them,” says Absemetov, noting that the townspeople gather and will come here not only during the day.
On the Alley of Writers, according to the historian, there are monuments to representatives of the pre-revolutionary Alashorda intelligentsia, and the intelligentsia of the Soviet period - those who gave their talents to the new government, but it also did not spare them, repressed them.
“As long as human memory is alive, we are alive,” the scientist concluded.
Activists and schoolchildren who were present at the ceremony agree with his conclusion.
“We came to the laying of flowers together with veterans, pensioners and schoolchildren to pay tribute on the day of memory to the repressed, who laid down their lives, their destinies, families for us and worked tirelessly, winning back that knowledge and skills to pass on to their descendants,” she said. Roza Baisalbayeva, head of the Center for Active Longevity of Astana.
Photo: Kazpravda.kz