Protesters in Tbilisi and Yerevan honored the memory of the victims of Stalin's repressions.

In Yerevan and Tbilisi, participants honored the memory of the victims of repression as part of the "Return of Names" campaign by reading the names of those executed. Some participants noted that it is important not only to preserve the memory of those killed during Stalin's terror, but also to support those currently imprisoned for political crimes.

As "Caucasian Knot" reported, on October 29, 2024, the "Return of Names" action, in which participants read out the names of those repressed, took place in 134 cities, including Pyatigorsk, Yerevan, Vanadzor, and Tbilisi. Volgograd activists rescheduled the event for security reasons and held it on October 27 and 28.

"Return of Names" memorial events for the victims of repression took place today in various cities across Iran, including Tbilisi and Yerevan. In the Georgian capital, the names of those killed as a result of the repressions were read out at the building at 37 Rustaveli Avenue, formerly Olginskaya Street, which belonged to Tiflis public figure and philanthropist Alexander Melik-Azaryants. In 1921, it was converted into communal apartments. In 1929, the Kandareli couple moved into the building. In 1937, Konstantin Kandareli was executed, and his wife Elena was sentenced to ten years in prison, Memorial (listed as a foreign agent) wrote on its X social media page. According to a YouTube broadcast of the event, several dozen people gathered in Tbilisi for the rally, and the names were read out in Russian. Participation in the event is important, said one activist, naming the Russian politicians and activists who died in prison. "This means that we are alive, that we remember political prisoners," she said.

Another activist said that such actions are relevant now and she came to read out the name of her executed great-grandmother.

Activists read out one or two names at a time, stating the name, age, place of work, and date of execution.

According to a video published on the RusNews website, about 30 people gathered at the action in Tbilisi.

Dozens of people gathered at the memorial to the victims of political repression in Yerevan. "We cannot list them all (the repressed), among them are not only politicians, scientists, musicians, famous people, but also millions of innocent people who have nothing to do with politics, peasants, workers," said one of the participants.

"We must remember not only those who died in prisons and camps, but also "Those who are today declared victims of political repression in Russia," he added.

Among those whose names were read out by those gathered were both natives of Armenia and victims of repression from various parts of Russia. A long line formed to read the names, according to a broadcast on the project's YouTube channel.

Return of the Names is an annual memorial event for the victims of Soviet terror. On October 29, people around the world gather to read aloud the names of those executed and repressed by the Soviet state—and to see each other. "Over the past 18 years, the geography and meaning of the event have changed repeatedly, but the main point remains: reading the names as a way to preserve memory and a form of civil resistance. For many, it is also a way to show solidarity with the prisoners of the current Russian regime," the description on the project's website reads.