Slovakia remembering victims of communist regime

The Day of Remembrance of the Victims of Communist Regime is being observed for the first time today, on 24 June in Slovakia. The date was set to remember the 24 June 1954 when Slovak dissident Silvester Krčméry said during his trial at Trenčín court the following words: "You have the power in your hands, but we have the truth!" The amendment to the Act on Public Holidays and Remembrance Days establishing was approved by Slovak MPs on 3 November 2020.

Between 1948 and 1989, more than 70,000 people were convicted and imprisoned in Slovakia for political reasons. The communist regime carried out unjustified death sentences on five dozen people, more than 13,000 citizens went through forced labor and almost 5,000 nuns and monks were interned.

One of the people who were brutally tortured and imprisoned was the political prisoner, Catholic dissident and doctor Silvester Krčméry. He was blamed for organizing religious communities among people without a political focus.