MINSK, 14 December (BelTA) – The bill “On the genocide of the Belarusian people” passed its first and second reading at the sixth session of the House of Representatives of the National Assembly of Belarus, BelTA has learned.

The bill was submitted to the House of Representatives, the lower chamber of the Belarusian parliament, by MP Lilia Ananich. It is the first legislative document to recognize the genocide of the Belarusian people during the Great Patriotic War and in the post-war period. In addition, the bill introduces criminal responsibility for the genocide denial in a public speech or in a printed or publicly displayed work, or in the media, or in the Internet and another public telecommunication network.

The bill also contains provisions on commemorating the genocide victims. It seeks to improve awareness raising and education campaigns in order to shape appropriate moral, social and political attitudes to this matter.

The bill will be of great political importance, as it will formalize a fair assessment of the atrocities committed by the Nazis and their accomplices on the Belarusian land, and will become a tribute to the memory of ancestors.