Memorial to victims of Soviet forced labour inaugurated in Hercegkut

Budapest (MTI) – A memorial dedicated to Hungarians taken to Soviet forced labour camps 70 years ago was inaugurated in the village of Hercegkut, in northeast Hungary, on Sunday.

Istvan Stumpf, a constitutional court judge, said the memorial depicting a male and a female figure accurately portrays the suffering of “heroes” who fell victim to Soviet forced labour. He said the memorial also represents the “shameful acts” man is capable of.

Stumpf said Soviet forces deported the “brightest” residents of the village, claiming they were being taken away to do “a little work” and that they could soon return home. The prisoners were crammed into cattle wagons and taken to the Donets Basin under humiliating conditions, he said. Stumpf said the Soviets punished those who had proven their loyalty to Hungary on numerous occasions.

Richard Horcsik, Fidesz MP of Hercegkut, said the memorial is a reminder that “such a tragedy must never be allowed to happen again.”

Mayor Jozsef Rak said that by erecting the memorial, the village is paying its debt to the victims who died in the labour camps and those who were able to return to Hungary but had spent “their best years suffering”.

Photo: kolozsvariradio.ro

Source: http://mtva.hu/hu/hungary-matters