On October 29, 2022, on the eve of the Day of Remembrance of the Victims of Political Repression in Russia, people gathered in Tbilisi, on Shota Rustaveli Street 37, to read aloud the names of those killed by Soviet terror.
Photographer Alexey Drannikov
Publishing editor Ilya Bazhan
"Return of the Names" is an all-Russian civil action in memory of victims of political repression, organized by the international human rights and educational society "Memorial". On a predetermined day and time, city residents, taking turns, read out the names of their fellow countrymen who were innocently executed during the Soviet era. In Moscow, the action takes place from 10 am to 10 pm, always on the eve of Political Prisoner's Day, that is, October 29. In other Russian towns and abroad, the day of the action is set differently, but, as a rule, it is October 29 or 30. Anyone can take part in the action, regardless of age, social status, the presence or absence of repressed relatives. Each person who comes is asked to read a list of several names (last name, first name, patronymic of the repressed person, age at the time of death, where he worked and the date of execution), light a candle and lay flowers.
