Victims of political repressions tell about threat of closing their organization in Volgograd

The "Association of Victims of Illegal Political Repressions" in Volgograd may stop its work due to a lack of money to rent its office, the head of the organization told the rally in memory of the victims of repressions.

The rally began today at the monument "Leaving to the Heaven" with a minute of silence, the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent reports.

The rally was attended by 60 members of the regional public organization "Association of Victims of Illegal Political Repressions", its head Nina Smolina has reported.

Nina Yurchenko, a pensioner, came to the rally with a portrait of her father Napoleon Plaksin. She said that her father was a red commander, but in 1938 he was accused of treason.

"They accused him of working for English intelligence. Where could he see Englishmen, it's not clear. They shot him dead in 1938; he was rehabilitated in 1958," the woman said.

According to her story, she spent her childhood in an orphanage in Kazakhstan. "They scoffed at me there; they called me a traitor and took away food," Nina Yurchenko narrated, adding that she had lived in Kyrgyzstan for 46 years; and only in 1998 her family moved to Volgograd.

The "Association of Victims of Illegal Political Repressions" is experiencing financial difficulties, said Nina Smolina. According to her story, "continuous trials are underway because of non-payment of the rental fee."