Memorial crosses to victims of Stalinism demolished in Barysau

30 May in Barysau, on the territory of batteries, a fortification monument of the 19th century, the memorial crosses to the victims of Stalin’s repressions and the leader of the anti-Bolshevik resistance Yurka Monich, were demolished.

The BelaPAN was informed about it by Siarhei Salash, the head of Barysau branch of the Belarusian Popular Front Party. According to Mr. Salash, the crosses were sawn down by representatives of the housing authorities of Barysau. ‘I believe that the reason for it is the installment of the memorial sign to Yurka Monich, which was considered by the authorities as an open challenge to the authorities from the side of the civil society,’ pointed Salash.

In his interview to the BelaPAN Andrei Aliakhnovich, student of local history from Krupki district, said that in 1919-1937 mass fusillades of citizens of Barysau and its suburbs were performed on the batteries. In 1919 there were shot participants of Barusau riot of army recruits and in 1932 – participants of hunger riot. Aliakhnovich says that in 2000 there was installed a memorial sign which has been several times destroyed by unknown vandals. ‘By the way, the last cross stood for more than a year, whereas the sign to Yurka Monich survived only a week,’ pointed Andrei Aliakhnovich. 

Bear in mind that 23 May on Barysau batteries there was installed a six-point cross of the heavenly mediatress Yeufrasinnia of Polatsk with a memorial shied where it was written: ‘Yurka Monich, 1890 – 23.05.1924 – to fighter for Belarus’. The opening of the memorial sign was attended by more than 30 public activists. In 1919-1924 Monich directed the anti-Bolshevik resistance movement in the center of the country and was the head of the headquarters of the 1st partisan Belarusain department of the military forces of the Belarusian People’s Republic. He was executed by workers of GPU (ancestor of today’s KGB) on 23 June 1924. Then his body was transported to Barysau and presumably buried on the territory of the batteries.

According to the BelaPAN information, earlier, on 23 April, another memorial sign was demolished. This one was installed on 19 April in the village of Drazhna (Staryia Darohi district), in the memory of the peaceful citizens, murdered by the Soviet partisans on 15 April 1943. For installment of this memorial sign the political Viachaslau Siuchyk and the journalist Viktar Hursik were sentenced to 15 days of jail.