15 years ago, on October 29, 2007, seventy years after the Great Terror had begun, the first action “Returning the Names” in memory of the victims of state terror took place at the Solovetskiy Stone in Moscow. It was held on the eve of October 30, the Day of Remembrance of the Victims of Political Persecutions established in 1991. This day is also known as the Political Prisoner Day established in 1974 by former prisoners of the Soviet prison camps. 

For 15 years, these actions have been held in many Russian cities and in other countries involving tens of thousands of people. Even the two pandemic years did not break the continuity of this tradition. Instead of humbly skipping two years, “Returning the Names” which had always been broadcasted from the Solovetsky Stone in Moscow, embraced three continents in 2020 and 2021. We can still relate to the memory of terror and its victims and the memory of resistance to the political violence.

2022 has brought a new disaster and new victims, people are dying right now and this unimaginable tragedy unfolding before our eyes must be brought to an end as soon as possible. We are convinced that “Returning the Names” is very much relevant now, reminding of the fundamental unconditional concept of utmost importance: nothing in the world can be more precious than a human life, and therefore, no government has any right to take a life. It was true in 1937 and it is no less true now, in 2022. The more people will share this idea, the higher the chance that the war will end soon and will never happen again.

That is why we invite you to come and remember the names of those murdered by the Soviet Great Terror. 

October 29th. From 10 am to 10 pm (Moscow time)

^{If you want to take part in “Returning the Names” action} 

We think it is important to keep it public, and different cities offer different possibilities (and also varying levels of safety). You can choose a place of a historical or symbolical meaning in your city and read the names of political terror victims with a small group of people. You can do it on October 29 and be part of our live broadcast or record your name reading in advance and send us your video. We will broadcast your recordings or live streaming on October 29. 

If you have any questions like “Where do I find the names?” or “What do I need to record a video?”, please see the Russian version of our website.

We are looking forward to seeing your videos, please send them at [email protected]. 

You can help us by making a donation at donate.memo.ru (cards of Russian banks) or at memorial-france.org (non-Russian bank cards).

See you on October 29

Your Memorial