Zinaida Tarasevich, 76, holds a self-made mug made from a tin, which her mother bequeathed to her before...
Zinaida Tarasevich, 76, holds a self-made mug made from a tin, which her mother bequeathed to her before she died, in Minsk October 24, 2013. This mug was given to her in remembrance of the primitive kitchen utensils her parents had to use during their long years in a concentration camp in Russia's Arctic north. Only her parents, from more than 20 politically repressed relatives sent to the camp, survived and managed to return home after Stalin's death. More than 100 Belarussians including 22 writers and poets were executed by the NKVD secret service, predecessor of the present-day Belarussian KGB secret service, overnight on October 29, 1937. October 29 is marked as an unofficial day of commemoration for victims of political repression. Between 600,000 and 1.5 million people fell victim to Stalin's repressions in Belarus, according to various estimates. Picture taken October 24, 2013. REUTERS/Vasily Fedosenko (BELARUS - Tags: CIVIL UNREST SOCIETY ANNIVERSARY)