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The Second World War and the denunciation of totalitarian crimes

Written declaration No. 429 | Doc. 12025 | 16 October 2009

Signatories:
Mr Andres HERKEL, Estonia, EPP/CD ; Mr Ryszard BENDER, Poland, EDG ; Mr Andris BĒRZINŠ, Latvia, ALDE ; Ms Ingrida CIRCENE, Latvia, EPP/CD ; Mr Juris DOBELIS, Latvia, EDG ; Mr Mátyás EÖRSI, Hungary, ALDE ; Mr György FRUNDA, Romania, EPP/CD ; Mr Giorgi GABASHVILI, Georgia, EPP/CD ; Ms Rosario GREEN MACÍAS, Mexico ; Ms Dzhema GROZDANOVA, Bulgaria, EPP/CD ; Ms Olha HERASYM'YUK, Ukraine, EPP/CD ; Mr Göran LINDBLAD, Sweden, EPP/CD ; Mr Dariusz LIPIŃSKI, Poland, EPP/CD ; Mr Aleksei LOTMAN, Estonia, UEL ; Mr Akaki MINASHVILI, Georgia, ALDE ; Mr Aleksandar NENKOV, Bulgaria, EPP/CD ; Mr Hryhoriy OMELCHENKO, Ukraine ; Ms Marietta de POURBAIX-LUNDIN, Sweden, EPP/CD ; Mr Christos POURGOURIDES, Cyprus, EPP/CD ; Mr Indrek SAAR, Estonia, SOC ; Mr Kimmo SASI, Finland, EPP/CD ; Ms Chiora TAKTAKISHVILI, Georgia, ALDE ; Mr Zhivko TODOROV, Bulgaria, EPP/CD ; Mr Latchezar TOSHEV, Bulgaria, EPP/CD ; Mr Egidijus VAREIKIS, Lithuania, EPP/CD ; Mr Emanuelis ZINGERIS, Lithuania, EPP/CD
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September 2009 marks the 70th anniversary of the outbreak of the Second World War. The Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact and its Secret Protocol, signed on 23 August 1939, opened the way for a joint attack on Poland by Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union, launched on 1 September and 17 September 1939 respectively.

Whereas both the international community and post-war Germany condemned the crimes of National Socialism immediately after the end of the Second World War, the crimes of the Stalinist regime still remain to be unanimously condemned both at international level and by the Russian Federation.

In this regard, the undersigned call upon the Parliamentary Assembly to:

  • continue to assess and judge the crimes of communism from a legal, moral, political and historical point of view, on the understanding that an objective and comprehensive assessment of the communist totalitarian past, and in particular the Stalinist crimes, could lead to a deeper understanding and sound future integration of all European nations;
  • assist Russia in carrying out a comprehensive public debate on the crimes of the Stalinist regime.