Seventy years since the liberation of Auschwitz concentration camp – the day is commemorated widely in Finland and around the world

Tuesday, 27 January 2015 is the 70th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz concentration and extermination camp. The day is commemorated around the world as Holocaust Memorial Day. In Finland, the day is called the Day of Remembrance for the Victims of Persecution.

The main international event is held at the Auschwitz camp in Poland. The event is expected to be attended by about 40 Heads of State or Government as well as some 300 concentration camp survivors. Speaker of Parliament Eero Heinäluoma and former Finnish Prime Minister Matti Vanhanen will represent Finland at the event.

In Finland, the main event for the Day of Remembrance will be held at the Synagogue of Helsinki, where the speaker will be President of the Republic Sauli Niinistö. The event is organized by the Finnish Holocaust Remembrance Association.

A delegation of the leadership of the intergovernmental International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) is visiting Finland and will participate in the Day of Remembrance event and will visit schools. The delegation will meet, among others, Foreign Minister Erkki Tuomioja.  The visit to Finland, as well as Finland’s activities in IHRA on a wider scale, is coordinated by the Finnish National Board of Education. 

As part of commemorating the Day of Remembrance, Finland affirms its commitment to IHRA’s so-called Stockholm Declaration, the aim of which is to promote the joint efforts of Governments to combat anti-Semitism, xenophobia and genocide. IHRA’s 31 member countries and eight observer countries commit themselves to the development of education, research, museum activities and other ways in order to keep the memory of the holocaust alive. In addition, Finland has kept the past and present persecution experienced by the Roma in the fore internationally.

Additional information: Ambassador for Human Rights Affairs, Rauno Merisaari, tel. +358 295 350 974