The event aimed to honor approximately 6 million people from Central and Eastern Europe who fell victim to the Soviet regime’s repressions. The ceremony was attended by Siberian deportees and their descendants, European politicians, and numerous gathered guests. For the first time, a representative from the Sybir Memorial Museum attended the commemoration.
“From the Baltic states through Eastern European countries, including the Tatars in Crimea and others. We are here to honor the suffering of the victims and remember the lifelong scars across the continent,” said the President of the European Parliament, Roberta Metsola.
Among the participants was Ewa Bartnikiewicz from the Permanent Exhibition Department of the Sybir Memorial Museum, who had the honor to read out the names of the victims of the soviet mass deportations. With her, the representatives from different European Union countries read long lists of names, creating a joint gesture of tribute and respect.
Sybiraks were also present at the ceremony: Kordian Borejko — President of the Main Board of the Association of Siberian Deportees, and Lech Kozłowski, who is a member of the Association of Siberian Deportees and the Chairman of the Audit Committee of the Main Board of the Association of Siberian Deportees. Jerzy Bołtuć — Chairman of the Podlasie Association of Memory of Siberian Exiles and Provincial Governor for War Veterans and Victims of Oppression was also present. Their presence added a special dimension to the event, reminding everyone of the personal stories and sufferings of thousands of people.
“When I was 7 months old in 1940, we were living in Vilnius at the time. One night, men from the sad NKVD institution came and destroyed my childhood and youth. Together with my grandmother, mother, and two sisters, I was taken to a dangerous and icy land,” recalled Kordian Borejko, moving all the gathered.
We also offer our heartfelt thanks to MEP of the 9th term, Tomasz Frankowski, for his involvement in organizing our representatives’ trip to the ceremony. His efforts are proof that the memory of the victims of the Soviet Mass Deportations is still alive and very important for the whole of Europe.
The Day of Remembrance of for Victims of the Soviet Mass Deportations, first organized in 2023, was established by the European Parliament as an official celebration. The originator of the event is Lithuanian MEP, Rasa Jukneviciene. That day, we remember, among others, Poles, Latvians, Lithuanians, Ukrainians, and Estonians who were deported deep into Siberia and to Centrall Asia Soviet Republics. For Poles, February 10 is particularly important, when one of the four mass deportations in 1940-41 took place. However, June 14, established as the Day of Remembrance, highlights the fact that these tragic events affected many nations.
The commemorations in Brussels were not only a tribute to the victims but also a reminder of suffering and heroism of many innocent people. It is a shared heritage that unites different nations and which the Sybir Memorial Museum aims to preserve for future generations.
