2005 Press Releases
Consul General John Stepanchuk announced the awarding of a grant to the Memorial Museum of the History of Political Prisoners at Perm-36 (former GULAG)
October 7, 2005
Consul General John Stepanchuk announced the awarding of a grant to the Memorial Museum of the History of Political Prisoners at Perm-36 (former GULAG) during a visit to the camp on October 5. The award, given under the Ambassadors’ Fund for Cultural Preservation Program, will support restoration of the security perimeter and special regime barrack.
During a press conference on October 6, the Consul General was joined by Museum Director Victor Shmyrov and Perm Oblast Ombudsmen Tatyana Margolina in expressing the necessity of preserving the historical truth and educating younger generations, so that this tragedy would never happen again. The political prisoners detained at Perm-36 defended the principles of freedom of speech, thought and expression, becoming national heroes in countries throughout the former Soviet Union.
Established by Congress in 2001, the Ambassador’s Fund for Cultural Preservation aims to assist less developed countries in preserving museum collections, ancient and historic sites and traditional forms of expression. Since its inception, the program has awarded 292 grants in 106 countries.