Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

Memorial in English

@enmemorial.bsky.social

280 followers 14 following 1.3K posts

Defending human rights now & preserving the memory of 20th-century Soviet repressions since 1989. 2022 Nobel Peace Prize winner

Posts Media Videos Starter Packs

Pinned

Memorial in English @enmemorial.bsky.social · Aug 19

Their names erased. We bring them back.

Every year on October 29, people across the world gather to speak aloud the names of those executed and silenced by Soviet terror. Each name is a stolen life. Each name spoken is an act of defiance against forgetting.

1 1 2

Memorial in English @enmemorial.bsky.social · 5d

Together, we can turn your local business into a little island of solidarity in your city 🕊️

Get in touch:
[email protected]
Telegram bot: @october29_bot
Or just DM us here — and help spread the word!

#returningthenames

Memorial in English @enmemorial.bsky.social · 5d

— share a small % from sales,
— launch a special product with us,
— put up our poster with a QR code for donations,
— offer something for our upcoming auction,
— or come up with your own way.

Memorial in English @enmemorial.bsky.social · 5d

Behind every candle lit, every flower laid, every poster hung, every livestream shared — are volunteers and local organizers. And they need our support.

Here’s how you can take part:

Memorial in English @enmemorial.bsky.social · 5d

On October 29, people all over the world will read the names of victims of Soviet terror. This act is more than remembrance — it’s resistance. It’s how we show solidarity with today’s political prisoners in Russia.

Memorial in English @enmemorial.bsky.social · 5d

And today we, the team behind Returning the Names, are calling on independent businesses — bookstores, bars, cafés, tattoo studios, salons, galleries — to join our campaign.

Memorial in English @enmemorial.bsky.social · 5d

Turn your business into a place where memory lives

Throughout history, businesses have often stood with civil society. Think of the Stonewall Inn — not just a bar, but the place that became a rallying point for the gay liberation movement and the fight for LGBTQ rights in the US.

1 1

Memorial in English @enmemorial.bsky.social · 8d

Learn more at october29.live?lang=en#:~:t...

#returningthenames

Memorial in English @enmemorial.bsky.social · 8d

The most important thing? Share this message. Spread the word.

This act of memory is also an act of defiance: we refuse to forget — and we stand with today’s political prisoners in Russia.

Memorial in English @enmemorial.bsky.social · 8d

Wherever you are, you can take part:

– join or organise a reading;
– volunteer or donate;
– or simply raise your voice where you live.

Memorial in English @enmemorial.bsky.social · 8d

One month to go until we return the names

On October 29, people around the world will gather to read aloud the names of those silenced by Soviet terror — repressed, executed, exiled. One by one.

1 1

Memorial in English @enmemorial.bsky.social · 13d

Here's the link: www.talkingarchives.com/en/stories#n...

#talkingarchives

1 1

Memorial in English @enmemorial.bsky.social · 13d

The Archive Speaks: Stories Hidden in Documents — Zukunft Memorial’s new project uncovering the human stories buried in official files.

1 1

Memorial in English @enmemorial.bsky.social · 13d

Petrov built secret lists of thousands from scraps in local papers. Every obituary — or missing one — was a clue.
When the archives opened in 1991, his underground work became part of Memorial’s mission to expose Soviet crimes.

1 1

Memorial in English @enmemorial.bsky.social · 13d

In the USSR, archives were sealed. Historian Nikita Petrov went hunting elsewhere — in old newspapers.

There he found the faces and names of Soviet officials… until they suddenly vanished, erased as “enemies of the people.” The regime didn’t rewrite the past — it just stopped printing it.

1 1 2

Memorial in English @enmemorial.bsky.social · 15d

Here's the link: www.talkingarchives.com/en/stories#m...

#talkingarchives

Talking archives: monologues.

This project shows that the world of the archive is more than shelves and dusty boxes; the archive is filled with magic, mystery, and hidden truths.

www.talkingarchives.com

Memorial in English @enmemorial.bsky.social · 15d

On the anniversary of his death, we’re telling Vasyl Stus’s story through one archival document — a small postal card. Archivist Maria Klassen shares the journey of this card, and of Stus himself, as part of the project “Talking Archives: Stories Hidden in Documents” by Zukunft Memorial.

Memorial in English @enmemorial.bsky.social · 15d

His story ended tragically: in 1985, Stus died in the notorious Perm-36 labor camp. But the little card that traveled between Bremen and Magadan still holds the energy of his words, his anticipation, and his unbroken spirit.

1 1

Memorial in English @enmemorial.bsky.social · 15d

Unlike most prisoners, who asked for warm socks or chocolate, Stus requested poetry and philosophy. He was not only resisting oppression — he was preserving and deepening the Ukrainian language and culture in the harshest conditions.

1 1

Memorial in English @enmemorial.bsky.social · 15d

The card had traveled thousands of kilometers from Bremen, Germany, where a woman named Christa Bremer — a member of Amnesty International — “adopted” Stus as a prisoner of conscience. She sent him letters, books, and parcels for years, fighting Soviet bureaucracy to make sure they reached him.

Memorial in English @enmemorial.bsky.social · 15d

“Danke sehr! Mein Finis — 11.8!”
(“Thank you very much! My end — August 11!”)

That was the day he expected his exile to finish.

Memorial in English @enmemorial.bsky.social · 15d

A postcard that carried hope across the Iron Curtain

In July 1979, Ukrainian poet Vasyl Stus signed a small pink German postal card in exile in Magadan, far in the Soviet Far East. Next to his signature, he squeezed in a few extra words:

1 1 3

Memorial in English @enmemorial.bsky.social · 20d

Their work explores the Soviet deportations of people from the Baltic states and Ukraine.

The Prize will be awarded on Saturday, October 11, 2025, at 6:30 p.m. in the Hemicycle of the Halle aux Grains.

1 1

Memorial in English @enmemorial.bsky.social · 20d

Our colleagues Alain Blum and Emilia Kustova from @memorial-france.bsky.social Memorial France have received the Grand Prix of the Rendez-vous de l'Histoire 2025 — France’s most prestigious history research prize!

Les Rendez-vous de l'histoire @rdvhistoire.bsky.social · Sep 4

👀 Découvrez les lauréats du Grand Prix des Rendez-vous de l'histoire 2025 !
📌 Ce Prix sera remis le samedi 11 octobre 2025 à 18h30, dans l’hémicycle de la Halle aux Grains
@ehess.fr
#rvh #rvh2025 #festivals #blois #prixlittéraire

1 1 1

Memorial in English @enmemorial.bsky.social · Sep 1

All links and ways to support us on the website: october29.live/2024-returni...

Returning the Names in 2024

Returning the Names is an annual commemoration of people who were exiled, arrested, or executed by the Soviet regime. Since 2007, every year on October 29, many people gather in different cities aroun...

october29.live

Memorial in English @enmemorial.bsky.social · Sep 1

Check out how you can support us — from donating to sharing to organizing.
The easiest first step? Share this post.
Let’s make the names louder, together.

1 1