Translated material
Vertukhai against
The Moscow Mayor's Office has revoked permission to hold the "Return of Names" action at the Solovetsky Stone. Memorial released an official statement
International Memorial Board Statement:
For the past 11 years, every year on October 29, on the eve of the Day of Remembrance of the Victims of Political Repressions, the Lubyanka has been hosting the “Return of Names” commemoration event – all day, for 12 hours, everyone reads the names of those who were shot in Moscow.
Such an action should have taken place this year as well. At the talks with the participation of the Moscow authorities since the spring, promises have been made that construction work will not interfere with the action.
The memorial received all the necessary approvals from the FSO, the Ministry of Internal Affairs, the prefecture of the Central Administrative District. However, today, on October 19, 2018 - that is, 10 days before the action - the approval was withdrawn by the Moscow mayor's office.
This action is outrageous not only because of the violation of the promises made by the Moscow authorities and repeatedly confirmed. Officials did not consider it necessary to apologize in any form - not only, and even not so much to the organizers, but to the thousands of people who support this action and participate in it.
The Solovetsky Stone , the country's oldest monument to the victims of the totalitarian regime, was erected on October 30, 1990 as a result of the joint efforts of civil society, public organizations, city and state authorities. It is installed on Lubyanka Square, which in itself is reminiscent of state terror. "The return of names" is inextricably linked with the Solovetsky stone.
Therefore, the idea of trying to move the “Return of Names” action to the “Wall of Sorrow” monument on Akademika Sakharov Avenue seems unacceptable to us, just as it is impossible to replace the laying of flowers at the tomb of the Unknown Soldier in the Alexander Garden with some other ritual.
The "Return of Names" has long ceased to be an action of the Memorial, it has become a citywide event. After receiving approvals, information about the action was already widely disseminated, and many people of different generations even without reminders know that on October 29 they can come to Lubyanka Square, get a candle, read the names of the dead Muscovites and name their repressed relatives. And many will still come to the Lubyanka, not knowing about the violation of their promises by the mayor's office.
All responsibility for disrupting the action lies with the Moscow city authorities.