Shved: Another 117 mass graves were found in Belarus in 2022

Another 117 places of mass execution were identified in Belarus in 2022, Belarus' Prosecutor General Andrei Shved told journalists at the Khatyn memorial complex on 22 March, BelTA has learned.

“This place is sacred to all of us; it embodies the tragedy that took place here during the Great Patriotic War. We are actively investigating the facts of the genocide, and every day more and more information is coming to the surface. Thus, a group of specialists of the Prosecutor General's Office who studied archives of the Russian Federation has already returned home. Today we can say that the acts of the Extraordinary State Commission unveil only 10% of information about the scale of the tragedy. The remaining 90% is yet to be studied,” Andrei Shved said.

As the warm weather is setting in, the field work will be resumed. “This year alone, we identified 117 new, previously unknown places of mass extermination of our citizens. The work on the ground will continue in order to understand the scale of the extermination and identify new settlements that were burned by the Nazis and their accomplices, the names of the executioners, lists of punitive battalions, the names of those who were tortured and burned,” the prosecutor general emphasized.

“We continue to work with witnesses, we have already interviewed more than 13,500 people. This year, at least 300-350 people are to be interviewed, including those in the former republics of the Soviet Union. The first package of documents is ready to be sent to officials and countries. The preparation of materials to launch the process of recognition of the genocide of the Belarusian people in international institutions is underway,” Andrei Shved concluded.