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More than 20 monuments to be removed in Poland during decommunization

In 2017, an updated law on decommunization entered into force in Poland

WARSAW, February 12. /TASS/. Authorities of the Podlaskie Voivodeship in northeastern Poland plan to remove 21 World War II monuments as part of the decommunization process, Polish television reported on Monday.

A monument in the town of Sejny erected in 1970 by the 25th anniversary of the Polish People’s Republic to mark the Red Army’s victory over the Nazis is to be dismantled soon. There are figures of Red Army soldiers on the memorial’s foundation and a female figure in the center. Since 1982, the monument has been officially dedicated to the image of a Polish mother. "Mother is a daughter of her country who is ready to give it her last child," the plaque on the monuments reads.

According to Sejny Mayor Arkadiusz Nowalski, the memorial will be dismantled in the second half of February.

"We will coordinate all details with the head of Podlaskie Voivodeship. We are only waiting for the firm that will carry out the dismantling," he said. "We should also think about what we will do with this monument after the dismantling," Nowalski added.

There are also plans to remove monuments dating back to the Polish People’s Republic in the regional capital Bialystok, as well as in Ciechanowiec, Nowogrod, Bakalarzewo, Lipsk and other communities.

On October 21, 2017, an updated law on decommunization stipulating the removal of monuments and memorials that pay "a tribute to the memory of people, organizations, events and dates that symbolize Communism or other totalitarian regime" entered into force in Poland. The Institute of National Remembrance was chosen as the main consulting body that local authorities may be guided by. Its experts recognize about 230 World War II monuments to the Red Army in Poland as propagating Communism.