Vasil Yakavenka: Dzerzhinsky’s Rehabilitation is a Blasphemy :: Charter'97 :: News

A worker of the historic-demonstrational center of the KGB of Belarus has created an excursion route around the places connected with the life of Felix Edmundovich Dzerzhinsky, the founder of the Bolshevik secret police, the Cheka (Vecheka, All-Russian Extraordinary Commission to Combat Counter-Revolution and Sabotage, later known by many names). It is considered that this route would enjoy great popularity among few tourists visiting the country of Alyaksandr Lukashenka. “The phenomenon, from which our society had suffered tremendously, is being whitewashed. The punitive system founded by Dzerzhinsky, is related to the greatest mistake of the Bolsheviks, mass execution of people,” a writer, the author of historical novels Vasil Yakavenka commented on the KGB’s initiative.

Belarus is the only country in the post-Soviet territory where the attitude towards the father of the Soviet punitive system had not been changed at the state level. His bust still stands in front of the KGB building. And the State Security Committee has not changed its name. Many streets, collective farms, enterprises and towns are still bearing the name of the “ardent Bolshevik”. The leadership of the KGB initiated restoration of the family estate of the Dzerzhinsky family in Minsk region. A bank account has been opened for charitable contributions.

“Dzerzhinsky’s rehabilitation is a sacrilege which vindicates today’s repressions,” Vasil Yakavenka says. “To make them look not so outrageous, a historical background is added to them. Following this logics, a memorial to Hitler, praised by Lukashenka, who was as “iron” as “iron Felix” was, could be build near the memorial complex to Felix Dzerzhinsky. And a monumental complex to Luykashenka himself nearby”