European Day of Remembrance for totalitarian victims

The European Day of Remembrance for the victims of all totalitarian and authoritarian regimes, including Nazism, Fascism, and Communism, is observed on August 23. The date commemorates the 1939 signing of the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact, which included secret protocols to divide Eastern Europe into spheres of influence.

Commemorations take place across various European nations, such as Bulgaria, Croatia, Greece, Poland, and Slovenia, to honor those lost to mass deportations, executions, and famine. In Slovenia, officials have highlighted the importance of truthful historical memory as a moral commitment to democracy and human rights. Recent observances continue to emphasize the duty to preserve a “culture of remembrance” to prevent the relativization of totalitarian crimes.

During the 2026 observances, Montenegro’s President Andrija Mandić reiterated the duty to honor all victims without relativizing the crimes of different ideologies. Vice President Momo Koprivica further emphasized the state’s duty to uncover the truth regarding mass graves and political violence to uphold human dignity and the rule of law. In Croatia, remembrance included official ceremonies and local acts, such as those held at the Peace Cemetery in Bilima and wreath-laying at Mirogoj, where officials emphasized the importance of democracy and freedom. In Bosnia and Herzegovina, religious and political leaders gathered at the Peace Cemetery in Bilima to honor those lost to historical violence.

In the Potkozarje region, ceremonies specifically marked the 85th anniversary of victims of wartime terror. In Greece, government spokesperson Pavlos Marinakis asserted that “democracy must not tolerate the legitimization of hate.” Additionally, the Center for Civic Education (CGO) called for remembrance to become a permanent part of state policy and education, warning that silence regarding historical crimes creates space for revisionism and that intolerance is increasingly spreading through digital hate speech.