Marathon sorrow

In Moscow on Lubyanskaya Square, the action “Return of Names” in memory of the victims of political repression is held

Photo: Screenshot "Echo of Moscow "

On October 29, on the eve of the state day of memory of the victims of political repression, from 10 to 22 hours, people, replacing each other, on Lubyanskaya Square, at the Solovetsky stone, read out the names of those who were shot during the years of Soviet terror. Everyone can take part in the Marathon of Sorrow.

“Name, surname, age, profession, date of execution - thousands of names will sound that day over Lubyanskaya Square. People were shot secretly - we are doing the memory of them public, ” the Memorial Society said in a statement .

Despite the reconstruction that takes place on the square, dozens of people came to the action. Many speakers, having read the name from the list, added the names of their relatives. Some recalled today's political prisoners. So, for example, the name of the historian, head of the Karelian Society “Memorial” Yuri Dmitriev, sounded more than once. People demanded to free him. Dmitrieva was accused of making a photo of a pornographic nature, for the pictures of the adoptive daughter. The historian himself states that he shot a girl to observe her physical development and reports to the guardianship authorities.

This year, the shares have been executed for 10 years. Over the years, the participants read out only half of the names of the repressed. Over the years of terror in Moscow, more than 40 thousand people were shot.

On October 30, they announced the day of the political prisoner in the USSR in 1974 at the initiative of human rights activist Kronid Lubarsky. In 1991, by the decision of the Supreme Council of Russia, the day of the political prisoner was included in the State calendar. In modern Russia, the date is celebrated as a day of memory of victims of political repression.

Since 2007, on the initiative of the Memorial company, the “Return of Names” campaign has been held, during which participants take turns reading the names of people who were shot in 1937-1938. On the 2007 promotions, Vladimir Lukin, who worked as an authorized person in Russia in Russia, read the first surnames from the list from the list.

The “Return of Names” action takes place not only in Moscow. Rallies on October 29-30 are held in various cities of Russia and abroad, including in Washington and London.