The famine of 1946-1947 was organized in order to make the population become servile and obedient in the collectivization process, PAS MP Vasile Șoimaru stated in a public debate staged by IPN News Agency. To commemorate those who were killed by starvation, Moldova’s Parliament instituted the Day of Remembrance for the Victims of the Organized Famine of 1946-1947.

Under the Parliament decision, the given day will be celebrated annually on the third Saturday of April. The author of the relevant draft decision, Vasile Șoimaru, said that since the Independence was declared, the MPs haven’t had the courage to say it openly that the famine was organized and was not only a consequence of the drought.

“I had waited for 32 years. I sat in three Parliaments, but couldn’t secure support for such a decision. Ultimately, the children of the members of the first Parliament, who in the 1990s tried to adopt such a document, entered the legislative body and adopted the draft decision that enables us to commemorate the victims of the famine organized by the Communists in our region. If you noticed, the MPs of the left withdrew from the Parliament sitting as they do not want to admit that the famine was organized. They say that there was hunger because it was drought. But this is not so. People were dispossessed of everything and were murdered. Something like this cannot be forgiven,” stated the MP of the Party of Action and Solidarity.

According to historians, the number of those who were killed by starvation in the Moldovan Soviet Socialist Republic in December 1946 - August 1947 varies between 250,000 to 300,000.

Vasile Șoimaru said the future collectivization was the major goal pursued then. They wanted to make the people obedient. Those who obeyed were allowed to stay, while those who didn’t were taken to clean Siberia as this all in weeds. There were concrete persons who worked out the famine project and Ukraine was the first target. Regrettably, the historians study famine only as a process, but do not clearly say who organized it.

The MP noted that a memorial complex should be built in memory of the victims of the organized famine. Currently, there is such a memorial only in Avdarma village of ATU Gagauzia. A large section of the local museum in Avdarma is devoted to this crime against humanity.

“We can build a national center for all the inhabitants of Moldova in Avdarma. It should be a complex of the highest level. But we should also do something similar in Chisinau. The Parliament decision on the Day of Remembrance for the Victims of Famine is only the beginning and a lot of work is yet to be done. After this decision was adopted, Nicolae Rusu issued a novel that I recommend reading. There was also printed another novel written by the priest from Nicolae Botgros’ village. It will be something unusual. Those pages are read with tears in the eyes. There appeared a new edition of Larisa Turea’s book. There is also Mariana Țăranu’s book. Something is done, but not enough against the size of the crime committed in 1946-1947. We should daily remember the people killed by starvation,” noted the MP of the ruling party.

The debate entitled “Organized famine of 1946-1947: victims, murderers, memory” was the tenth installment of IPN’s project “Impact of the Past on Confidence and Peace Building Processes” that is supported by the Hanns Seidel Foundation of Germany.