On April 10, 2026, employees of the Zonal State Archive in Slutsk took part in an event commemorating the International Day of the Liberation of Nazi Concentration Camp Prisoners

The commemoration took place near the memorial to the prisoners of the Soviet POW and civilian camps on the grounds of the 30th Separate Railway Brigade.

Today, we mourn the dead and bow our heads before those who endured the torments of the concentration camps, preserving their honor and dignity, and becoming examples of the strength of the human spirit. Only by preserving the memory of those terrible events can we hope that such events will never happen again, that our children will never hear the alarming wail of sirens or experience the full horrors of war. The results of the genocide investigation indicate that the Nazi invaders established 578 death camps in Belarus, including notorious places of forced detention such as the Trostenets death camp, where over half a million people were murdered; the Minsk ghetto, where at least 90,000 Jews were tortured; and the Ozarichi death camp, where tens of thousands were exterminated.

In June 1941, a camp for Soviet prisoners of war was established in the city of Slutsk on the grounds of the first military camp. Beginning in 1942, civilians began to be brought to the camp not only from other cities in Belarus but also from occupied regions of Russia. These were primarily women, children, and the elderly.

The Germans sent those able to work to concentration camps in Poland, the Baltic states, and Germany. The sick and weak remained in Slutsk, many of whom died of hunger and cold. The dead were buried right here, on the camp grounds…

From June 1941 to March 1944, more than 28,000 Soviet prisoners of war and civilians were tortured, shot, or died of wounds and epidemics in the Slutsk camp. Every life cut short in those terrible years is more than just a statistic. These are destinies, dreams, and families that are forever a thing of the past. We must remember those who suffered, who fought for their lives, who lost loved ones. Their courage and resilience serve as a reminder of the importance of peace and harmony.

Participants observed a moment of silence in memory of the fallen and laid flowers at the memorial.