About | Museum of State Terror

MUSEUM OF STATE TERROR

We preserve the memory of those
who became victims of state
terror.

We give voice to the witnesses.
We document past and present
atrocities and preserve evidence.

Because the past does not
disappear
when its crimes remain
unexamined.

01 — THE MUSEUM

Museum of State Terror is an independent museum and documentary project based in Toronto, Canada.

It explores state terror, its impact on individual lives, and the mechanisms of repression across different countries and historical periods — from the Soviet GULAG, the Holodomor, and forced deportations to contemporary political persecution, state violence, and Russia’s war against Ukraine.

The museum brings together eyewitness testimonies, family archives, photographs, documents, and artifacts — preserving historical memory while documenting contemporary events and examining how the mechanisms of repression persist and evolve.

02 — UNDERSTANDING

STATE TERROR

State terror is a system of violence used by those in power to control society, suppress resistance, and persecute or eliminate those declared to be enemies.

Across different countries and historical periods — from mass repression, the GULAG and forced deportations to contemporary political persecution, filtration camps and violence against civilians — the forms change, but the mechanisms remain: fear, coercion and impunity.

Understanding these mechanisms helps us see the connection between past and present — and recognize their return in new forms.

03 — OUR MISSION

Our mission is to document state terror, past and present, and preserve personal testimonies, documents, photographs, and family memories — making them accessible to future generations.

Through personal stories, archives, research, and documentary film, we restore individual lives to history, document contemporary persecution and violence, and preserve the voices of those who were meant to be silenced.

For us, memory is not only about looking back. It is also about bearing witness to the present — ensuring that evidence of state violence is preserved, its victims are remembered, and their stories are not forgotten.

04 — WHO WE ARE

Museum of State Terror is being created by a team of historians, researchers, documentary filmmakers, and volunteers united by a commitment to documenting state terror, preserving historical memory, and giving voice to its victims.

We work across countries and generations, bringing together witnesses, families, researchers, archives, and people whose personal histories form part of a larger record of state violence and resistance.

Our work combines historical and contemporary research with personal testimonies, documentary film, photographs, documents, and artifacts — preserving individual voices and making them part of the public record.

We believe that history is not only preserved by institutions. It is preserved by people — those who witnessed it, those who inherited its memory, and those who choose to keep that memory alive.