New book about Stalin's executions is now out

A presentation of the book by journalist Marat Haravy "The NKVD executed people in Kurapaty..." was held in Minsk on 5 July. The book consists of 17 thematic essays on Stalin's executions that took place in the 1930s near Minsk. It also contains more than 100 unique photographs and drawings.

The Belarusian authorities still claim that it is unknown who shot whom in Kurapaty. Nevertheless, the journalist deliberately gave the book a provocative title. Where did such beliefs come from?

"The conclusions were drawn long ago," Marat told Euroradio."The digging carried out after the opening of Kurapaty confirmed that the NKVD took people there and killed them. We did not discover anything. We only confirmed what was discovered long ago".

Why was it important to publish the book now? According to Marat Haravy, it was the events surrounding Kurapaty in recent years that prompted the publication.

"I decided to write this book to give my vision of Kurapaty's past, present and future," said the journalist. He is confident that the book will affect all those who develop an interest in their country's history.

As for the authorities' intervention in the "improvement" of the memorial, Marat Horau is sure: "The Kurapaty should be treated with respect, as well as any person who cares about them. One should appreciate and respect the opinion of people. If we have the stance like "I have decided, and you must obey!" then there will be what was and what is".

The author of the book says that the dialogue between the state and the people is always good. But the state urgently needs to abandon the plan to build a national exhibition center on the field between Kurapaty and Expobel. He believes this building will change the whole situation around Kuropat, destroy viewpoints and belittle the national memorial.