In pictures: So-called Clinton Bench at Kurapaty destroyed in fresh vandal attack

The so-called Clinton Bench, put up in the heart of Kurapaty, was damaged beyond repair in a fresh act of vandalism at the Stalin-era mass execution site on February 7, six days after it was smashed into four pieces.

The damage was discovered by Kurapaty conservation activists, including Hanna Shaputska, at around 4:15 p.m.

“We saw that the Clinton Bench had been broken into more than 14 pieces,” Ms. Shaputska told BelaPAN. “There are tiny pieces and there are bigger pieces.”

“It is obvious that it is impossible to repair the Clinton Bench, a new one will have to be made,” she said, adding that the activists had called police to the scene.

The monument, a granite slab, was donated by President Bill Clinton on behalf of the people of the United States during his visit to Belarus in 1994.

The bench has been the target of numerous vandal attacks since 2001.