River of Memory will appear in Minsk

River of Memory will appear in Minsk

Memorial composition in memory of those killed in the terrorist attack on April 11, 2011 in Minsk subway will be installed at the Oktyabrskaya station exit. Now there is a temporary marble memorial plaque where are always burning candles and church lamps. However the Minsk city executive committee decided to replace it with a permanent sculptural complex and via the open competition among sculptors and painters.

The jury decided to give the first place to the River of Memory by Constantine Selikhanov, which was chosen from twelve projects. It will be a bronze stele depicting the flow of water with fifteen waves, where will be engraved the names of the dead. The sculptor specifically tried to avoid such dark elements as wreaths, candles and crosses. According to Selikhanov, the stele will symbolize a stream that broke off and took the lives of innocent people, but the monument should not hurt the feelings of relatives and friends of the victims. In addition to the names of the dead only one sign will be engraved on the memorial - 11.04.2011 made in the style of clocks installed in the Minsk subway.

Terrorists who bombed the Oktyabrskaya station in the center of Minsk were captured in 25 hours after the attack. During the investigation, which lasted until 15 September, it was found that the detainees D.Konovalov and V.Kovalev are responsible for the bombings in Vitebsk 09.2005 and Minsk 07.2008. After the hearings, which lasted for two and a half months, on November 30 the Supreme Court of Belarus found the defendants guilty and sentenced them to the capital punishment - shooting.

Ilya Kozlovskiy

Date: 02/02/2012