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EESTI ELU reedel, 10. juulil 2020 — Friday, July 10, 2020
Nr. 27
Tellige EESTI ELU! July 8, 2020
Russian Fabrications and Distortions of History Hinder Mutual Understanding and the Pursuit of Truth The recent article, “The Real Lessons of the 75th Anni versary of World War II”, in the ‘National Interest’ by Russian President Vladimir Putin, is a grievous affront to the victims of Soviet totalita rianism as well as a conti nuous attempt to falsify and distort historical facts. The article spuriously states that the Soviet Union’s Treaty of Non-Aggression (widely known as the Molotov-Ribben trop Pact) with Nazi Germany was unavoidable and signed un der the duress of precarious geopolitical circumstances; that the illegal annexation of Esto nia, Latvia and Lithuania was as a result of a reciprocal agree ment with the occupied states and concluded after the latter gave due parliamentary assent. Further, the claim that the governments of the Baltic states were sustained intact after the Soviet occupation; and the im plication that the Soviet military forces that defeated Germany in Central and Eastern Europe were not complicit in enforcing the political repression in these captive nations following World War II, are egregious distortions of the fact. The 1944 Soviet occupation resulted in the executions of thousands of in nocent citizens and mass depor tations in freight train wagons of men, women and children to harsh work camps throughout Siberia. Many perished in those inhumane conditions. If it is important to the Putin Regime to “understand” (and not forget) the torment and hardships “aris ing from the Second World War, then it is morally impera tive that the Putin regime allow for a fully transparent account
ing and judgement of the Soviet era perpetrators of their crimes against humanity. The Estonian World Council categorically refutes the above claims by the Russian president. Estonians and peoples of Central and Eastern Europe find it entirely unacceptable for the Russian leadership to assume and elaborate on Communistera false narratives justifying its actions before, during and after the Second World War. We find it repugnant for Russia to be re habilitating the repressive So viet period and thereby rational izing the appalling crimes of Joseph Stalin and other totali tarian Soviet rulers. This same development, as clearly indicat ed by Vladimir Putin’s message in the ‘National Interest’, helps to legitimize its increasingly authoritarian domestic rule and vindicate Russia’s aggressive foreign policy. As a self-proclaimed succes sor to the Soviet Union, the current Russian government has adopted the Communist era narrative of glorifying the Red Army’s triumph over Nazi Germany. In essence, Russia is attempting to weaponize the memory of World War II. To dismiss the Russian dis tortions of historical facts as simply a different interpretation of past reality is to absolve the Soviet Union of the suppression of the Russians themselves and numerous other nations, and di minish the sacrifice of millions of victims of Soviet crimes. Russia refuses to accept the equivalency of Communist and national-socialist repressions and labels this comparison as promoting fascism. This is not simply a “memory war” that is
Eesti Elu teade Eesti Elu kontor Tartu College’i hoones ei ole praegu külasta jatele avatud. Palun kasutage lehe kontoriga suhtlemiseks tele foni: 416-733-4550 või emaili: eetalitus@eestielu.ca Pakume praegusel keerulisel ajal kõigile soovijaile Eesti Elu digilehte üheks kuuks tasuta. Selleks saatke e-kiri eetalitus@ eestielu.ca või digi@eestielu.ca, et korraldada Teil lehele juurdepääs. EESTI ELU TOIMETUS
Tartu College’i teade Seoses vajadusega piirata COVID-19 viiruse levikut otsustas Tartu College’i nõukogu, et Tartu College’i G-korrus (seal asu vad saal, korporatsioonide toad ning raamatukogu) on publiku le suletud alates 14. märtsist kuni järgmise teateni. Seal toimu ma pidanud üritused on tühistatud või edasi lükatud.
being played out between Russia and the West. This is Koroona-aegne emadepäev, kui 10. mail tulid lapselapselapsed Isla Foto: Vaike Rannu kogust Russia’s current government’s ja Karis ning Dylan ja Lee lilli tooma. blatant attempt not only to ab solve the Soviets from collusion with Nazi Germany in initiating the Second World War but also to cultivate international nonengagement or even acceptabi lity for its expansionist aims today. 2020. aasta on kujunenud In the late 1980s and early erilisemaks, kui meist keegi 1990s, with the Soviet regime oleks osanud ette näha või change facilitated by leaders karta. Eriolukord nii Kanadas Gorbachev and Yeltsin, there kui paljudes teistes maailma was broad hope and optimism riikides kehtis nädalaid ja see that the Russian people would pole veel kõigi jaoks lõppe • millised on teie hirmud ja begin to enjoy the essence of nud. Piirangud ja keelud lootused: democracy and benefit from the muutsid meie kõigi igapäevae • kuidas on muutunud elu teie pursuit of human rights and jus lu ja toimetulekut. kogukonnas; tice for all. Sadly, more recent Baltic Canadian Imprint history shows a retrograde slide töörühm soovib jäädvustada • kas ja kuidas olete osalenud of the Russian government neid aegu tulevikus tarvis. vabatahtlikes abiaktsioonides; regime to an authoritarian rule. Võttes eeskuju Eesti Kirjandus • kuidas on muutused teistes The unjustified repression and muuseumi/Ühendus Eesti Elu riikides, maailmas mõjutanud persecution of democracy advo lood ning Eesti Rahva Muuseu teie elu; cates and regime opponents in mi kogumiskampaaniatest, kut modern day Russian cannot be sume meiegi Kanada baltlasi • mis võiks olla need õppe denied or ignored. üles jäädvustama neid era tükid, mida me COVID-19 If the Putin regime is so mo kordseid aegu ja meiega jagama kogemusest kaasa võiksime tivated by its stated “need for oma mõtteid ja tundeid. võtta üksikisikutena ja ühiskon truth and objectivity”, its pro Projektipartnerid on: balti nana. mise to be “honest and impar sakslasi koondav Balti Immig Eesti kogukonna esindajate tial”, its “commitment to high rantide Abistamisühing Kanadas tekstid, blogilingid, foto- ja humanist ideal and values” and (CBIAS), Väliseesti Muuseum videofailid on oodatud aadres its stated mission of “enhancing (VEMU), Leedu Muuseum ja sil: piretnoorhani@gmail.com. the stability … and prosperity Arhiiv Kanadas (LMAC), Kana Paberkandjal materjalid pa and well-being of all states”, da Läti Arhiiv ja Muuseum lume saata: Estonian Studies then it must guarantee its own (KLAM) ja Kanada Läti Rah Centre/VEMU, 310 Bloor ST. non-aggression and its uncondi vusföderatsioon. W., Toronto ON M5S 1W4. tional endorsement of human Oleme huvitatud järgmistest Tööde esitamise tähtaeg on rights, freedom of speech, free materjalidest: 31. juuli 2020. dom of the press and the pursuit • kirjalikud mõtisklused ja Eestlastelt saadud materjale of truth and justice. mälestused, sh eriolukorra päe säilitatakse Väliseesti Muuseu Any “Summit of Five” (as vikud ja blogid; mis ja kunagi, kui COVID-19 proposed by Russia with leaders • fotod, joonistused; on seljatatud, koostame lae of Russia, China, Great Britain, • koduvideod; kunud materjalidest ühisnäituse, France and the USA) must be • meemid ja naljad, mida olete mida siis juba koos oma Balti preceded by an endorsed proc loonud või jaganud sotsiaalmee sõpradega avada saame. lamation of non-aggression dias. Südamlik tänu kõigile, kes guarantees and the upholding of Kutsume teid üles mõtisklema on meiega oma koroonakoge human rights. selle üle: must juba jaganud! Ees seisab The Estonian Central Cou • kuidas muutis koroona teie eriline suvi: paljud meist on pi ncil in Canada and Association igapäevaelu võrreldes varasema danud ära jätma mitte ainult of Estonians in Sweden will ga; tavapärase Eestis käigu, vaid ka continue to speak up for an accurate reading of history and • kuidas muutis see teie tööelu; palju muud meelepärast. Nii millele pöörate võrreldes nagu me saame koos üle ras the upholding of human rights • varasemaga rohkem ja millele kustest, mille globaalne viiru and freedoms. vähem tähelepanu; sepuhang meie kõigi ellu on ESTONIAN CENTRAL COUNCIL IN CANADA • millised on teie suhted lähe toonud, nii saame koos jääd ASSOCIATION OF ESTONIANS IN daste ja sõpradega, kas ja vustada ka sel erilisel ajal koge tut. PIRET NOORHANI SWEDEN kuidas on need muutunud;
Kogumisaktsiooni ,,We Are All in This Together – COVID-19“ tähtaega on pikendatud 31. juulini
