Ulaanbaatar
Wreaths Laid at the Monument for the Victims of Political Repression
Society
Ulaanbaatar, September 10, 2025 /MONTSAME/. On September 10, 2025, Mongolia marked the Day of Tribute to the Victims of Political Repression.
In 1996, the State Great Khural (Parliament) of Mongolia adopted Resolution No. 33, under which senior state officials lay wreaths at the Monument for the Victims on this day each year, paying tribute through a commemorative ceremony.
Accordingly, on this day, Deputy Speakers of the State Great Khural, Bulgantuya Khurelbaatar and Purevdorj Bukhchuluun, along with Members of the State Great Khural and Government, SCR officials, as well as the relatives of the repressed, paid respects and laid wreaths at the monument.
The day serves to commemorate the thousands of citizens who lost their lives to unjust political persecution, to express respect to their families and descendants, and to remind future generations of the lessons of history. The period of greatest repression occurred between 1937 and 1939, when thousands of officials serving in government, party, military, and political leadership positions were persecuted and executed.
Historical records indicate that within two years of 1937, approximately 30,000 individuals were executed by firing squad. Specifically, the total number of victims reached 31,652, of whom 18,775—59.7 percent—were lamas (monks). A total of 13,827, or 73.6 percent, were sentenced to death, while 4,039, or 21.5 percent, were sentenced to imprisonment. Another 909 victims, or 4.8 percent, included those arrested and later released, those who died in prison, those punished without formal verdicts, and those who disappeared without a trace. During this wave of repression, around 1,250 temples and monasteries were destroyed.
