Moldovan PM delivers message on Famine of 1946-1947

The spring and winter of 1947 were among the most dreadful periods in our nation's history, with thousands of people left to starve as a result of an organized, criminal policy. Prime Minister Dorin Recean today conveyed a message to this effect, in the context of marking the Day of Commemoration for the victims of the organized famine of 1946-1947, held on the third Saturday of April.

The PM announced that, in memory of the victims of that dreadful period, an exhibition showing the pain of our people had been set up outside the government building.

‘’The spring and winter of 1947 were among the most dreadful periods in our nation's history. Following the drought of the summer of 1946, thousands were left to starve as a result of an organized, criminal policy, through which Soviet authorities forcibly imposed exaggerated agricultural quotas and confiscated any available food resources. With a deliberate, inhumane intention, the Soviet regime emptied people's granaries, taking everything down to the last grain,’’ the prime minister said.

The official emphasized that this shared suffering of our nation should unite us, not divide us.

‘’The totalitarian-communist regime which caused the famine of 1946-1947 did not choose its victims based on language or ethnicity. Everyone suffered greatly during that time, especially in rural areas and that common pain should bring us together, not apart,’’ the PM noted.

At the same time, Dorin Recean stressed the importance of remembering the past and learning to live in a united and free Moldova, building a future based on past lessons where human dignity, respect for life and freedom are foundational values.

According to historians, the documented number of those who were starved to death in the Moldavian Soviet Socialist Republic from December 1946 to August 1947 is about 123,000. An additional 400,000 people were severely hit by malnutrition.