Officials explain why Lenin cannot be removed from Independence Square

Minsk City Executive Committee has explained why the monument to Lenin cannot be removed from Independence Square. Officials have replied to a petition in support of dismantling the monument signed by 800 people. The response is signed by deputy head of Minsk City Executive Committee Ihar Yurkevich:

“The monument to V.I. Lenin is part of the architectural complex of the House of the Government. It is a cultural and historic value of the second category and is on the List of State Cultural and Historic Values. According to unit 16 of the Culture Code of the Republic of Belarus, the value is protected by the state.”  

“Lenin is an alien element for us”, the petition authors claimed. They suggested moving the monument to an open-air museum as a reminder of the time that should come again, Radio Liberty reports.