On April 11, 2025, employees of the «Zonal State Archive in Slutsk» took part in an event dedicated to the International Day of Liberation of Prisoners of Fascist Concentration Camps

A ceremonial event dedicated to the International Day of Liberation of Prisoners of Fascist Concentration Camps was held near the memorial sign to the prisoners of the camp of Soviet prisoners of war and civilians on the territory of the 30th separate railway brigade.

Today, the whole world celebrates a memorable date – the International Day of Liberation of Prisoners of Fascist Concentration Camps. It has become a symbol of the greatest tragedy and grief, fortitude and unparalleled courage of people of various nations and nationalities, who by the will of fate found themselves in the dungeons of the fascist death camps. The date was established in memory of the international uprising of prisoners of the Buchenwald concentration camp, which took place on April 11, 1945.

In June 1941, a camp for Soviet prisoners of war was created in the city of Slutsk on the territory of the first military town. Since 1942, civilians were brought to the camp not only from other cities of Belarus, but also from the occupied regions of Russia. These were mainly women, children and the elderly… The Germans sent those able to work to concentration camps in Poland, the Baltics, Germany. The sick and weak remained in Slutsk, many of them died of hunger and cold. The dead were buried here, on the territory of the camp… From June 1941 to March 1944, more than 28 thousand Soviet prisoners of war and civilians were tortured, shot, died of wounds and epidemics in the Slutsk camp. Each life cut short in those terrible years is not just a number in statistics. These are destinies, dreams, families that have remained in the past forever. We must remember those who suffered, who fought for life, who lost their loved ones. Their courage and fortitude serve as a reminder of the importance of peace and harmony.

The participants of the event honored the memory of the dead with a minute of silence and laid flowers at the memorial sign.

We remember. Slutsk honored the memory of prisoners of fascist concentration camps