Head of State at commemoration of victims of 1946–1947 famine: When truth is told, even after decades, it brings justice

Every third Saturday of April, the famine provoked by the Stalinist regime in 1946–1947 is commemorated. In this context, President Maia Sandu took part today in an event dedicated to the memory of this tragedy, held in Mingir, Hîncești district.

“The famine of 1946–1947 affected hundreds of thousands of people and led to the loss of 200,000 lives. Figures that horrify us even today, but still cannot fully convey the trauma endured by parents and children, the young and the elderly,” said the head of state.

Maia Sandu recalled that the famine affected all communities in our country, noting that in Mingir about 1,400 people – nearly half of the village’s population at that time – lost their lives.

“The Stalinist regime cynically used the famine to trample on human dignity, pushing people to the limit of survival and, for very many, beyond it,” the head of state underlined.

The President also visited the future Famine Museum in Mingir and highlighted the importance of preserving memory, especially given that for decades, survivors were forced to live their pain in silence. “As these lessons cannot be left only in books, but must be lived and understood, it is entirely fitting that there should be a Famine Museum here. A place where people can learn, can understand, and can feel what happened. Because this community has carried the burden of those years of suffering perhaps more than any other,” said the head of state.

Maia Sandu also drew attention to attempts to falsify history, warning against voices that glorify the totalitarian past.

In concluding her speech, the head of state reiterated the essential role of truth in doing justice to the victims. “When the truth is told, even after decades, it brings justice. It helps us understand, not forget, and not repeat. And, above all, only the truth makes us free,” Maia Sandu concluded.

The full speech of the head of state can be followed here.