2006 press releases

Ambassador Stewart Visits Kurapaty in Observance of Dziady

November 2, 2006
Minsk, Belarus

Issued by the Embassy

On November 2, 2006, Ambassador Karen Stewart accompanied European Union Heads of Mission on a visit to Kurapaty in observance of Dziady, a Belarusian holiday honoring ancestors, to commemorate the tens of thousands of innocent people murdered and buried there during the Stalinist purges in the late thirties of the last century, as well as other Belarusians who have died under oppression. After placing flowers at the memorial bench presented by President William Clinton in 1994, Ambassador Stewart reiterated the historical importance of the Kurapaty tragedy and stressed that openness, coupled with a democratic and accountable government, would ensure that such tragedies never be repeated.