State Organs Decrease the Secured Zones of Kurapaty Mass Grave

Anton Astapovich, chairman of the council of the Belarusian voluntary society for protection of the monuments of history and culture, said to BelaPAN: ‘At the end of November 2007 I applied to the Ministry of Culture for permission to familiarize with the scheme of the secured zones of the Kurapaty forest and receiving a copy of this document, because on 20 May 2003 the Belarusian republican scientific center on the issues of historical and cultural heritage had adopted a scheme of the secured zones of the mass grave, which has not been presented to public. 

This scheme was elaborated by the Prayektrestauratsyja (Restoration project) state enterprise on the order of the Belarusian association of victims of political repressions. This scheme determines the borders of the historical and cultural value where the construction of any architectural objects is prohibited till the project of Kurapaty memorializing is adopted by the authorities. On 13 December 2007 I received from the officials a copy of the scheme of the secured zones of Kurapaty and the rulings of the Ministry of Culture, Minsk city executive committee and Minsk oblast executive committee on determining these zones.’

When Astapovich familiarized Maya Kliashtornaya with these documents, it was found that after the sitting of 20 May 2003 the borders of the secured zones were considerably changed. ‘Now we need to know whether these changes are legal’, A.Astapovich pointed. 

According to of the council of the Belarusian voluntary society for protection of the monuments of history and culture, in the case the illegality of correction of the borders is confirmed, he will have to apply to the State Control Committee and to the president’s administration.