Spring of Tears (Pacifica)

Spring of Tears
Part of Pelinese Civil War (1979-1982)
Location	Belogora
Date	1976–1982
Target	Pelinayaka Orthodox Christians
Attack type	Genocide
Deaths	1.3–2.2 million
Perpetrators	Revolutionary Security Service, Belogoran People’s Army

The Spring of Tears (Pelinese: 涙の泉, Namida no Izumi) was the systematic persecution and mass killing of Pelinayaka Orthodox and other Christians in Pelinai, then ruled as the Socialist Republic of Belogora. It was primarily perpetrated on a relatively limited scale by the Revolutionary Security Service on behalf of the Belogoran Socialist Workers’ Party with the goal of intimidating the majority Christian population of Belogora into abandoning their faith before significantly expanding in scope and pace after the July Revolution and the beginning of the Pelinese Civil War.

Publication of the full extent of atrocities committed by the Revolutionary Security Service as part of the Spring of Tears in early July 1979 prompted immense outrage among large sections of the Belogoran population and severely weakened the socialist government’s legitimacy. The reinvigoration of opposition that it facilitated played a crucial role in the decision of Field Marshal Aleksei Strelovic and Admiral Haru Tanaka to execute a military coup attempt against the Belogoran Politburo, directly leading to the July Revolution and the outbreak of the Pelinese Civil War.

Name

The name “Spring of Tears” refers to the usage of highly acidic hot springs as a method of killing, which was characteristic to the Spring of Tears and is described variously as either an intentional mockery of Christian baptism or a simple tool of convenience. In addition to the event itself, many things relating to the Spring of Tears in some way are also given a name or other association with water.

Death toll

The total death toll of the Spring of Tears is estimated to be between approximately 1.3 and 2.2 million, with broader estimates ranging from 800,000 to 3.4 million depending on inclusion criteria and other factors. The official death toll remains contentious among academics in Pelinai due to confounding circumstances such as the destruction of corpses as a side effect of some killing methods used, the difficulty of distinguishing genocide sites from non-genocide mass graves created during the Pelinese Civil War, and the difficulty of accurately differentiating between victims of the Spring of Tears, the Red Terror, and the White Terror on a consistent basis. There also exists significant disagreement on what criteria should be used to designate massacres perpetrated after the July Revolution as a part of the Spring of Tears as opposed to other types of anti-civilian attacks perpetrated by the Revolutionary Security Service and the Belogoran People’s Army during the Pelinese Civil War.

Researcher(s)	Estimated death toll	Publication date
State Special Investigative Committee for Belogoran and Conflict Documentation	800,000–1,400,000	1988
Georgovic et al.	950,000–1,200,000	1995
Kagi et al.	1,400,000–2,600,000	1996
Junovich et al.	1,200,000–3,400,000	2003
2nd State Special Committee for Belogoran and Conflict Documentation	1,000,000–2,500,000	2006
Shchpagina et al.	1,200,000–2,400,000	2011
Makutsuko et al.	1,400,000–2,800,000	2014
Harukov et al.	1,400,000–2,200,000	2019
Tanaka et al.	1,500,000–2,200,000	2020

Legacy

Along with the Pelinese Civil War that it helped to cause, the Spring of Tears remains one of the most defining events in Pelinese history. In addition to prompting a strong rebound in Christian religious practice in Pelinai that continues to persist the present day, the Spring of Tears holds a dominant position of influence over Pelinese culture, social discourse, and politics.

Pelinese Civil War

Main article: Pelinese Civil War (Pacifica)

The greatest lasting impact of the Spring of Tears was its pivotal role as the immediate central cause of the Pelinese Civil War, which became a critical point in Pelinese history in its own right. The two events together largely define Pelinai’s modern culture, economy, system of government, and general society, and are typically grouped together by scholars as the dividing line that separates “classical” and “modern” Pelinai.

Memorials

Many memorial monuments and museums dedicated to the Spring of Tears exist in Pelinai, the most well-known of which is the Fountain of Tears Memorial Park constructed in Pelograd, Stelossia in 1995. Pelinayaka Orthodox churches and other places of worship restored to operation after the reinstatement of the Pelinese monarchy also traditionally maintain a small memorial listing the names of any victims that belonged to that specific place of worship.

The beginning of the Spring of Tears is observed as Spring Remembrance Day by the Pelinese government and Pelinayaka Orthodox Christians on April 7 every year.