Belarus’ Prosecutor General on punishers in burnt village of Ola: those were thousands of uniformed two-legged beasts
A requiem rally was held at the Ola Memorial Complex in memory of the 80th anniversary of the terrible tragedy. On January 14th, 1944, the Nazis burned down the village, killing 1,758 civilians, among whom were 950 children. Prosecutor General Andrei Shved, Deputy Prime Minister Igor Petrishenko, Chairman of the Belarus President Property Management Directorate Yuri Nazarov, heads of the republican and regional levels took part in the memorial events. Representatives of all districts of the Gomel Region gathered to pay tribute to the killed civilians.
Speaking about the events of that terrible day, Prosecutor General Andrei Shved noted, “Thousands of uniformed two-legged beasts came here to kill people, to torment them and to burn down. From a military point of view, that was a senseless action. However, based on the intentions of fascists and their accomplices, it was of certain significance. Long before 1941, they hatched plans, did everything necessary to come here and destroy everyone who lived here, our ancestors, and to create new territories for themselves.”
Mr. Shved urged all those present to remember not only the feat of fighters and partisans who brought the Victory closer, but also to honour the feat of civilians who held their heads high as they were killed in the cruellest way by occupiers. Ola is a pain of the whole of Belarus. As noted by the Prosecutor General, there were millions of killed civilians and thousands of affected settlements, but – even though so many years have passed since the end of the war – it is still impossible to give exact figures, since investigators find new names and places almost every day.
“It is important to bring this terrible truth to our children, because there – in the West – the descendants of those who committed atrocities here are actually hatching the same plans. Unfortunately, the evil that came here 80 years ago has not died. It's here, at our borders. We must remember this in order to understand how to deal with this evil. As long as we remember everyone who is buried here, they will live in our hearts,” Mr. Shved stressed.