On the morning of August 31, President Shavkat Mirziyoyev visited the alley "Shahidlar hotirasi" (Memory of Martyrs) in Tashkent. According to the presidential press service, at the event held here, surahs from the Koran and prayers in memory of the departed were read, then a memorial pilaf was served.
August 31 is celebrated as the Day of Remembrance for Victims of Repression since 2001. Last year, the Museum of Memory of the Victims of Repressions was reconstructed. Similar museums are open in Karakalpakstan and in all provinces of the country. This year, the museum organized an exposition dedicated to the 100th anniversary of the sending of Jadid students to study in Germany.
The head of state visited the museum and got acquainted with the exposition.
“It is not in vain that we come here every time and honor their memory. It was not easy to achieve the independence. Although independence was gained 31 years ago, our grandfathers tried to achieve it more than 100 years ago. 100 thousand of our compatriots were repressed, 13 thousand were mercilessly shot. Why? Because they were our greatest heroes, the treasure of the nation. They knew two or three languages. The regime had an understanding that they were able to liberate our Motherland, bring it to prosperity. In this place, it seems as if their voices are heard,” said Shavkat Mirziyoyev.
The President stressed that this period of history has not yet been fully studied, and research to identify the victims of repression and restore the memory of them should be continued.
“I instructed to find - even if it is a piece of paper - documents relating to the fate of these people, to allocate as much funds for this as needed. As a result, the names of many victims of repression have become known in recent years. We restore the memory of our ancestors-heroes for the sake of justice. Over the past year, 235 of our compatriots have been acquitted by the Supreme Court of Uzbekistan. We create museums and schools named after our grandfathers. They built a school for Abdulla Kadyri and erected a monument to him in the center of Tashkent. Why? So that people, passing by, look and think about who their ancestors were, in order to know their works. Or how many difficulties were there in restoring the memory of Chulpan? Today we say: get down, go to the people, because our strength is in the people. Chulpan said the same. These good deeds cannot be stopped. It is necessary to release new books and films,” the head of state said.
“The totalitarian regime was not limited only to the destruction of the Jadids. Back in the 80s of the last century, thousands of our compatriots were thrown into prison and persecuted under various slanderous pretexts,” he said.
“On the way here, I thought about it. If we say that the events of the 1930s are a distant history, then what about the “cotton” business?! They have come up with false accusations to suppress our leaders. What, in other republics there were no shortcomings? Such painful events can never be forgotten. On holidays and peaceful days, like today, we must pass this through our hearts and convey it to our youth,” said Shavkat Mirziyoyev.
He also noted that the world was becoming more and more disturbing, and in such a situation it is necessary to be on the alert and act in a balanced way.
“As you can see, competition and threats are intensifying in the world. To be ready for this, you must always remain vigilant. Together with thanksgiving for our present peaceful and free life, we need to strengthen our foundation for the future. How to strengthen? Through knowledge. If we, inspired by the greatness of our ancestors, improve education in all areas, we will not yield to the most developed countries in anything. If we teach our children well, the result will be better than we expect. Our independence will be unshakable and eternal,” the President emphasized.
