Topografie des Stalinismus
Zur Aufarbeitung der Repressionsgeschichte in Georgien
Datum: 2. Dezember 2010, 19.00 Uhr
Ort: Heinrich-Böll-Stiftung, Schumannstr. 8 10117 Berlin
Eintritt frei, Anmeldung nicht erforderlich
Podiumsdiskussion mit:
* Omar Tushurashvili, Georgisches Staatsarchiv, Tbilisi
* Lasha Bakradze, Soviet Past Research Laboratory, Tbilisi
* David Gogishvili, Soviet Past Research Laboratory, Tbilisi
* Giorgi Kldiashvili, Soviet Past Research Laboratory, Tbilisi
Moderation: Walter Kaufmann, Heinrich-Böll-Stiftung
Stalin wird in Georgien entweder als großer Sohn des Landes gefeiert oder verschwiegen. Die Aufarbeitung des Stalinismus war im Geburtsland des Diktators bislang kein Thema. Doch mittlerweile verändert sich etwas: Im Juni dieses Jahres stürzte die Regierung von Präsident Micheil Saakaschwili das monumentale Stalindenkmal im Zentrum von Gori, der Geburtsstadt Stalins, vom Sockel.
Eine Gruppe von acht jungen Historikern aus Tiflis nutzt den politischen Abgrenzungswillen der Regierung gegenüber der sowjetischen Vergangenheit und die damit verbundene Zugänglichkeit der Archive, um das Thema "Aufarbeitung des Stalinismus" in Georgien voranzutreiben. 2009 gründeten sie das unabhängige "Soviet Past Research Laboratory". In mühsamer Kleinarbeit in staatlichen und privaten Archiven sowie durch Interviews mit Zeitzeugen schafft das von der Heinrich-Böll-Stiftung unterstützte "Laboratorium" Grundlagen für die differenzierte Erforschung des Phänomens "Stalinismus" und seinen Auswirkungen auf die georgische Gesellschaft.
Seit 2009 bietet das "Soviet Past Research Laboratory" unter dem Titel "Topografie des Roten Terrors" Stadtführungen zu Orten stalinistischer Repression an.
Die Historiker vom "Soviet Past Research Laboratory" laden zu einem virtuellen Rundgang ein und berichten über Rahmenbedingungen der Aufarbeitung des Stalinismus in Georgien.
Die Veranstaltung wird simultan Georgisch - Deutsch übersetzt.
Eintritt frei, im Anschluss sind Sie zu einem Umtrunk und informellen Austausch eingeladen.
Informationen:
Kerstin Nickig, Referat Osteuropa, T 030-28534-384,
Email: RG_Osteuropa@boell.de
Hinweis:
Wir weisen darauf hin, dass im Rahmen dieser Veranstaltung Foto-/Ton- und Filmaufnahmen von TV-Sendern sowie für öffentliche und nicht-öffentliche Zwecke gemacht werden können.
+++
Red Terror Topography
In the small hours of the morning on June 25, 2010, the Georgian government removed a statue of the Joseph Stalin from the central square of his hometown of Gori. Georgian media and civil society were instantly abuzz with talk about dismantling the dictator’s statue and the ambivalent views many Georgian still hold about Stalin and his era. The Heinrich Boell Foundation (HBF), in cooperation with DVV International and the new non-governmental organization “The Soviet Past Research Laboratory,” has been developing an innovative project about the Stalin era to provide a new means for Georgians to address their past. Official action to move the Stalin statue from the central square to a nearby museum shows that the time is right for looking back at Georgia’s history. “The Topography of Red Terror” will develop routes and tours showing buildings and places associated with Soviet terror and repression. Guides will be trained to explain and interpret the sites for Georgians and international visitors. By directly encountering the locations where people in Georgia experienced injustice at the hands of the state, citizens and visitors can have a more vital understanding of the shape.
To set up the project, the HBF and partners are drawing on international expertise, in both coming to terms with a dictatorial past and in engaging the public with such difficult questions. On July 1-2, the Foundation hosted a workshop with experts who have addressed similar questions in other countries, most notably in the Baltic States. Former Prime Minister of Estonia Mart Laar, representatives of Estonian Ministry of Internal Affairs, along with representatives from Latvia’s Museum of the Occupation, Lithuania’s Genocide and Resistance Research Centre of Lithuania, and Russia’s International Memorial participated in the workshop.
The working group first met in November 2009, and it served as a starting point for researching the historical details, initiating a design of the route map of the Red Terror illustrating buildings and places associated with the Soviet terror and repressions. The process will support Georgian society in its efforts to come to terms with its Soviet legacyAt the July meeting, the Soviet Past Research Laboratory organized a test run of the guided tour in the old parts of Tbilisi, showing and describing historical places and buildings related to Stalinist terror, including NKVD headquarters, Communist Party offices, places of executions, houses of Communist party leaders. These locations and their history are largely unknown to the most Georgians, let alone foreign visitors.
In addition, participants visited the Archive Administration of Analytical Department of Ministry of Internal Affairs of Georgia that years ago served as the Archive of Soviet Party Organs. They had a unique opportunity to see original documents from the Stalin period, such as investigative papers, protocols of “Troikas” (judicial authorities) in 1937–38, protocols of the judicial sessions of Georgian Cheka collegiums, and orders of execution. These documents are now housed by the Archive Administration of the Ministry of the Internal Affairs. They are the raw material of history and enable visitors to get factual information on a dark part of the country’s history. The tour of Tbilisi locations was based on materials found in these archives.
Archive representatives presented a documentary showing how damaged archival materials were preserved, restored and made available to the broader public. Digitalization of the materials and open access to the archive documentation are important steps toward the democratic development of the country and shedding light on shadowy parts of its Soviet history.
The workshop participants agreed to assist the launch of an international consortium for the Stalin Museum in Gori. High-level political support could lead to establishing a museum and a research center, with global scope, focused on communist crimes and located in Gori. Such a center would include the current Stalin Museum as one part of its exhibits. Estonian participants also contributed their perspective on both legal and historical perspectives on Soviet actions. As a result, workshop members encouraged supporting Georgian society in establishing an International Investigation Commission on Crimes Against Humanity in Georgia.
The HBF and the DVV, in cooperation with the Soviet Past Research Laboratory, will continue to support the process of researching, designing the route map of the Soviet terror in Tbilisi and developing new ideas on coming to terms with Georgia’s past. With changes even coming to Gori, the time is right.
No comments:
Post a Comment