Internationales Ravensbrück Komitee

Memory as Responsibility: Speech by Ambra Laurenzi on the 81st Anniversary of the Liberation of Ravensbrück

3 May 2026 – Ravensbrück Memorial: Ambra Laurenzi commemorates the 81st anniversary of the liberation of Ravensbrück and emphasizes remembrance as a shared and individual responsibility, the universality of human rights, and the need to learn from history.

As the opening event of this year’s liberation commemorations, trainees from the Ernst Litfaß School Berlin renewed the route markings from Fürstenberg station to the Ravensbrück Memorial and Museum.

At a time when democracy and the rule of law in Europe can no longer be taken for granted, international committees of former concentration camps call on European governments to protect these important sites.

This week, representatives of the International Camp Committees of the major concentration camp memorial sites, directors and staff of the memorials, and representatives of the FIR met in The Hague to discuss safeguarding concentration camp memorial sites as European cultural heritage. In view of the political shift to the right in various European countries and revisionist initiatives by the far right, they considered it urgently necessary to place the memorial sites themselves under international protection, as had already been decided in 1991 at the initiative of veterans’ associations by European bodies. At the conference in The Hague, the following declaration was presented to the public: Include memorial sites of former concentration camps in the World Heritage List

On 2 and 3 May 2026, the Ravensbrück Memorial will mark the 81st anniversary of the liberation of the Ravensbrück women’s concentration camp with a diverse program of commemorative events.

Final Resolution of the International Ravensbrück Committee Published

The International Ravensbrück Committee (IRC) has published the final resolution of its meeting held in Kladno from 16 to 20 October 2025. In this resolution, the IRC reaffirms its commitment to preserving the memory of the victims of fascism and National Socialism and to defending human rights, peace and democracy in Europe. The resolution also warns against the rise of the extreme right, the weakening of democratic structures and the increase in racism and discrimination.

We wish everyone relaxing and enjoyable holidays and a great start to the New Year!

Selma van de Perre - Velleman (1922 – 2025) A life that testifies to courage, resistance and indestructible humanity Selma van de Perre was born Selma Velleman on June 7, 1922, in Amsterdam, the daughter of Barend Velleman and Femmetje Spier, into a warm and progressive Jewish family. Her childhood was imbued with optimism and curiosity; she grew up surrounded by books, music, and the belief that the world could be understood and improved. But that faith was cruelly shattered in the early 1940s.

The facts: On July 27, 2025, a heavily armed police force with dogs and a helicopter treated the participants of an international educational camp organized by the Club of Slovenian Students in Vienna (KSŠŠD) at the memorial site at Peršmanhof in Bad Eisenkappel/Železna Kapla like criminals and severely disturbed them. At a place where a Nazi police battalion murdered seven children and four adults in April 1945. This was a place where a Nazi police battalion murdered seven children and four young adults in April 1945. The participants wanted to learn about the history of National Socialism, in particular the expulsion and persecution of Carinthian Slovenes and the resistance of the partisans.

This year's IRK conference will take place from 16 to 20 October in Kladno/CZ

Speech by IRC President Ambra Laurenzi

The Programm of the Liberation Day of the of the Concentration Camp Ravensbrück you will find on the Website of the Memorial. [www.ravensbrueck.de](http://www.ravensbrueck.de)