The President Shavkat Mirziyoyev attended the traditional ceremony in honor of the Remembrance Day of Victims of Repression today in the Shahidlar Khotirasi Alley.
The surahs from the Koran were read at the symbolic grave, and pilaf was served.
"Every year on the eve of Independence Day, we extend our prayers in memory of our ancestors who gave their lives for the freedom of the Motherland. Their courage and feat will always be a school of example for us," the head of state stressed.
According to the presidential press service, during the years of political repressions, more than 100 thousand innocent Uzbeks were persecuted, thousands were shot on unfair charges, many were exiled, leaving their families without breadwinners.
"These lessons further encourage us to value today's freedom and strengthen our independence," he said.
Shavkat Mirziyoyev emphasized that a lot had been done in recent years to perpetuate their memory: more than 1,200 names of our repressed countrymen have been acquitted, the Museum of Memory of Victims of Repression has been reconstructed and expanded, and similar museums are being created in the provinces. This year marks the 150th anniversary of the birth of the leader of the Jadid movement, Mahmudhoja Behbudi, and the State Museum of Jadid Heritage is being created in Bukhara.
Starting from last year the first week of October has been celebrated as the Week of Remembrance of Victims of Political Repressions, and this year it is being held in the format of the Week of Remembrance and Education.
“It is necessary to fill it with deep content, make it accessible to everyone: hold special lessons in schools and universities, TV shows, competitions for young people. It is necessary to instill in the younger generation an awareness of what a great value independence is and what strong personalities our ancestors were,” he said.
The head of state underscored the Jadids’ contribution to the development of education and culture.
"If Turkestan students who studied in Germany in the 1920s had not fallen victim to the repressions, they could have transformed society. It is important that young people know and are proud of these examples," the statement concluded.
