ADDRESS BY H.E. MR. KASSYM-JOMART TOKAYEV, PRESIDENT OF THE REPUBLIC OF KAZAKHSTAN, ON THE DAY OF REMEMBRANCE FOR THE VICTIMS OF POLITICAL REPRESSIONS AND FAMINE
Nur-Sultan, 30 May 2020
ADDRESS BY H.E. MR. KASSYM-JOMART TOKAYEV,
PRESIDENT OF THE REPUBLIC OF KAZAKHSTAN,
ON THE DAY OF REMEMBRANCE FOR THE VICTIMS
OF POLITICAL REPRESSIONS AND FAMINE
Dear compatriots,
The political repressions in the twentieth century, between the 1920s and 1950s, was a tragic period in the history of our people.
After gaining independence, Kazakhstan began to take appropriate measures at the state level to ensure rememberance for the victims of this tragedy.
In 1993, the Law on Rehabilitation of Victims of Mass Political Repressions was adopted.
In 1997, by the Decree of H.E. Mr. Nursultan Nazarbayev, the First President of the Republic of Kazakhstan, the Leader of the Nation (Elbasy) May 31 was declared as the Day of Remembrance for the Victims of Political Repressions.
We remember that the years of “great terror” brought terrific suffering to many peoples during the Soviet era. During the “dark period” of repression, more than five million people were deported to Kazakhstan from all over the former USSR.
About 100 thousand of our citizens were persecuted, more than 20 thousand of them were shot.
Among the innocent convicts were many prominent statesmen and public figures, such as Alihan Bókeihan, Аhmet Baitursynuly, Muhamedjan Тynyshbayev, Mirjaqyp Dýlatuly, Turar Rysqulov, Maǵjan Jumabayev, Sáken Seifullin, Iliyas Jansúgirov, Beimbet Maylin, Sanjar Asfendiyarov, as wel as the intellectuals of other nationalities.
The GULAG forced labour camp (female camp in the village of Aqmola region, Russian abbreviation: ALZHIR) was a symbol of the cruelty of those years. Close relatives, wives and children of political prisoners were transported under guard and placed there to undergo punishment (forced labour) in that camp.
Today we also remember those who starved during the famine throughout terrible years of collectivization, as well as those who were forced to leave their homeland. About three million people were affected by the tragedy.
The huge human losses and the tragedy of those years touched the heart of every our citizen.
But for many nationalities, affected by totalitarianism, the Kazakh land has become a true home. Thanks to the courage, perseverance, endurance and tolerance inherited by our ancestors, we were able to pass the rigorous test with dignity and unite as one nation.
Today in the regions of the Republic the numerous monuments named "A thousand thanks to the Kazakh people" were constructed. This is a sign of boundless gratitude for the kindness, humanism and wisdom of the Kazakh people.
I instructed to complete the restoration of historical justice and establish a special State Commission to rehabilitate the victims of political repressions.
Only by remembering each of the innocent victims can we open the way to a perfect future. And the solid foundation of the better future is our Independence.
This mournful day, it is the duty of all of us to pay homage and pray for the souls of the innocent victims of one of the most difficult times of the last century.