Museum of victims of political repression opened in Baku

Baku/24.05.19/Turan: Museum of victims of political repression opened in Baku in the administrative building of the State Border Service of Azerbaijan. The museum of victims of political repression was created in the framework of the events dedicated to the 100th anniversary of the border guards of Azerbaijan.

The ceremony was attended by high-ranking representatives of the presidential administration, heads of security agencies, other government departments, members of parliament, and representatives of the creative and scientific community.

According to the head of the State Border Service, Elchin Guliyev, the museum"s exposition shows the saddest pages of Azerbaijani history, the repressive policies of the USSR in the 1920s and 1950s, which resulted in tens of thousands of public and state figures, representatives of science, culture, art, and ordinary citizens were subjected to political repression.

Since 1925, the main repressive organs of the state functioned in the building where the State Border Service is now located. In the basement of the building, there were detention cells, investigative rooms, places of execution of those sentenced to death.

In the main hall of the museum on the "Talking Documents" stand, there are copies of documents adopted in the 1920s and 1930s that are evidence of repression.

A special place in the museum is devoted to the deportation of Azerbaijanis from Armenia. The documents posted on the relevant stand demonstrate the policy of the USSR supporting the resettlement of Armenians living abroad to Armenia, at the same time lack of due attention to the situation of Azerbaijanis in Armenia with the subsequent deportation of Azerbaijanis from their native lands. It also contains copies of documents testifying to the eviction from Azerbaijan of Germans and Azerbaijanis who are citizens of Iran.

To recreate the picture of the behavior and relations of the Bolsheviks with political prisoners during the years of repression in the museum, the cells of detention, punishment cells, interrogation rooms and

execution were restored. Compositions have been created in the corridors of the museum, symbolizing the protest of illegally convicted persons and the desire for freedom.

The State Border Service invites grandchildren and great-grandchildren, close relatives of political repression victims to cooperate in helping the museum, and welcomes any initiative to enrich the museum"s funds. -06D-