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UN Secretary General sends message on the International Day of Commemoration in Memory of the Victims of the Holocaust

23 January 2009 10:55 (UTC +04:00)

Baku. Lachin Sultanova â€“APA. UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon sent a message on the International Day of Commemoration in Memory of the Victims of the Holocaust. â€œToday we remember the millions of victims of the Nazis -- nearly one third of the Jewish people and countless other minorities -- who suffered atrocious acts of discrimination, deprivation, cruelty and murder. We must continue to examine why the world failed to prevent the Holocaust and other atrocities since. That way, we will be better armed to defeat anti-Semitism and other forms of intolerance. We must continue to teach our children the lessons of historyâ€™s darkest chapters. That will help them do a better job than their elders in building a world of peaceful coexistence. We must combat Holocaust denial, and speak out in the face of bigotry and hatred.

And we must uphold the standards and laws that the United Nations has put in place to protect people and fight impunity for genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity. Our world continues to be plagued by ruthless violence, utter disregard for human rights, and the targeting of people solely for who they areâ€.