A group in Russia is making a project of marking the last residences of people murdered by the Soviet regime with plaques.
The rectangular plaques are small and simple. Etched into the metal there is a name, date of birth and occupation: radio technician, journalist, student.
Then come the dates of arrest and execution.
Fixed to buildings across Russia, the nameplates are gradually restoring the memory of some of the hundreds of thousands of victims of Joseph Stalin’s political repressions.
The initiative of a group of activists, it is also a direct challenge to the growing number of Russians who see the Soviet leader in a positive light.
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The Last Address project has received more than 1,000 applications requesting plaques to those who perished in Stalin’s paranoia-fuelled purge of supposed traitors.
The group of activists involved seek the agreement of residents before arriving with their electric drills but it is not always easy.
I’m not sure if they’re accepting donations, or if I’d trust sending donations to anywhere marked (dot)RU, but I do like the idea of reminding folks what bad things can happen when you give government too much power.