Nina Stuzhynskaya: Dzerzhinsky Means Only Violence, Fear, Mass Executions and Death

29.05.2006.

A ceremony of the opening of Felix Dzerzhinskis monument at the territory of Military Academy of Belarus in Minsk took place. The monument is a copy of the monument at the Lubianka Square in Moscow which was removed in 1991. The reaction of the Belarusian civil society to erecting a monument to a person who had founded a machine of repressions that later killed millions of people, including Belarusians, was extremely negative.

In the policy of our country an emphasis is laid on force structures. It is implemented through violence against the society, and especially against the people with a different opinion. And certainly it is very symbolic: we have been shown once again that we shouldnt expect a different course from this government, no games of democracy or human rights. It is emblematic that at the same time Georgia opened a museum of political victims and fighters with Soviet regime. The vector of the countrys development is completely different, to approach Europe and the developed world. And we have an opposite situation: the main instrument of governing the society is fear and repressions. Dzerzhinskis personality was rather emblematic for a certain part of the society in the 20ies as well. Dzerzhinski is just violence, fear, reprisals and death. It is a menacing symbol, and people should give thought to that, a historian Nina Stuzhynskaia said to the Radio Svaboda.

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