Today, a ceremony was held at the Auschwitz-Birkenau extermination camp in Poland to commemorate the 80th anniversary of its liberation by the Soviet Army.
This site, which symbolizes the horrors of the Holocaust, serves as a reminder that six million people were murdered during World War II, including 1.3 million in this camp alone.
To honor the memory of the victims, heads of state and government from around the world gathered alongside survivors of the death camps. Together, they emphasized the importance of preserving collective memory to pass on the lessons of the past to future generations.
Survivor Leon Weintraub during the commemoration ceremony – WOJTEK RADWANSKI / AFP
This commemoration resonates with the suffering of over one million Ukrainian Jews who were murdered in death camps or massacres, including the atrocity at Babi Yar, where thousands of men, women, and children were brutally executed.
Russian officials were notably excluded from the event. This decision reflects the international condemnation of Moscow’s war of aggression against Ukraine, as well as accusations of war crimes against Vladimir Putin, who is under an arrest warrant issued by the International Criminal Court.
“This is an anniversary. We remember the victims, but we also celebrate freedom. It’s hard to imagine the presence of Russia, which so clearly fails to understand the value of freedom,” said Piotr Cywiński, director of the Auschwitz Museum.
On this day of remembrance, the evocation of past horrors is even more poignant as Russia’s war of aggression unfolds before our eyes on European soil…
