MINSK, 14 December (BelTA) – The bill “On the genocide of the Belarusian people” passed its first and second reading at the sixth session of the House of Representatives of the National Assembly of Belarus, BelTA has learned.
The bill was submitted to the House of Representatives, the lower chamber of the Belarusian parliament, by MP Lilia Ananich. It is the first legislative document to recognize the genocide of the Belarusian people during the Great Patriotic War and in the post-war period. In addition, the bill introduces criminal responsibility for the genocide denial in a public speech or in a printed or publicly displayed work, or in the media, or in the Internet and another public telecommunication network.
The bill also contains provisions on commemorating the genocide victims. It seeks to improve awareness raising and education campaigns in order to shape appropriate moral, social and political attitudes to this matter.
“The memory of Nazi victims is sacred for our people, it is part of the national idea. It defined the bill “On the genocide of the Belarusian people”. Eighty years after the start of this deadliest war, having gone through incredible war-time sufferings and difficult post-war reconstruction period, being exposed to external hybrid aggression now, we can and should give a fair assessment of the atrocities of the Nazis and their accomplices on the Belarusian land during the Great Patriotic War and post-war period. This way the Belarusian people will send a message about imminent retribution for crimes,” said Lilia Ananich, Deputy Chairwoman of the Standing Commission on Human Rights, National Relations and Mass Media of the House of Representatives.
According to her, when developing the bill, the MPs took on board the requests of the state and the public to preserve the historical memory that is the pillar of the sovereignty and independence of the Belarusian state. “The bill is aimed to support at the legislative level the fundamental values of the Belarusian people, to thwart attempts to falsify the events and results of World War II, to give a fair assessment of the atrocities of Nazi criminals and their accomplices, nationalist formations during the Great Patriotic War and in the post-war period,” the MP said.
The bill will be of great political importance, as it will formalize a fair assessment of the atrocities committed by the Nazis and their accomplices on the Belarusian land, and will become a tribute to the memory of ancestors.
“This bill is meant to become a political, legal and moral act aimed at protecting historical memory, officially recognizing and condemning the genocide of the Belarusian people during the Great Patriotic War and the post-war period,” added Lilia Ananich.
