The Day of Political Prisoner in Russia

On October, 30th the Day in Memory of Victims of Political Repressions celebrated all over the Russian Federation. Nowadays political prisoners are appearing in the Russian Federation again and their number is increasing. There are scientists, businessmen, lawyers, members of oppositional movements and religious dissidents among them. (02-NOV-06)

Text: HRH/Moscow, by Yanina Savenko. Sources: demos-center.ru, newsru.com, hro.org, memo.ru

In 1974 the day of 30th October was declared in the USSR the Day of Political Prisoner. That day became the day of struggle for political prisoners release as well as the day of struggle for civil and political rights of all people. Fifteen years ago, when it seemed that communist dictatorship became a thing of the past, the Day of Political Prisoner got a new name – the Day in Memory of Victims of Political Repressions.

Authoritarian state’s measures of the USSR are coming back
Human rights organizations and democratic political parties organized a rally in memory of victims of political repressions, which was held in Moscow near the Solovetsky Memorial Stone. The rally Organizational Committee’s statement to citizens says: “Today we witness in the Russian Federation revival of authoritarian means of ruling the country. Civil freedoms are being curtailed again; state propaganda is ousting free interchange of opinions; criticism against authorities is often considered as almost antistate activities; persecution of independent mass media and journalists has become typical. Possibilities of civil control over authorities are consecutively cut down. As time goes on judicial authority is losing even the last semblance of independence. Nowadays political prisoners are appearing in the Russian Federation again and their number is increasing. There are scientists, businessmen, lawyers, members of oppositional movements and religious dissidents among them. Recent events also forced us to recollect the instruments of communist politics, which seemed to be forgotten, – punishment of whole nations and deportation on ethnic basis”.

The State of the Russian Federation refuses to acknowledge its responsibility for the USSR terror
15 years ago, in October 1991, the Law “On rehabilitation of political repressions victims” was adopted. Besides, a moral-historic evaluation of the past was given in the law.  In its preamble the state took responsibility for misdeeds towards citizens. According to member of the Board of international society Memorial Alexander Daniel, now the state repudiates itself of all moral responsibility, after in 2004 the State Duma excluded the words about moral damage from the law.  Moreover, a new law on archives allows free access to files only after 75 years, so historians and other interested people were deprived of the possibility to learn about fates of people subjected to repressions and about people who were guilty of them. 

Victims’ names remain unknown
The 30th of October has been celebrated as the Day in Memory of Victims of Political Repressions for 15 years. However, names of all political repressions victims aren’t published and even their number isn’t exactly determined. There is still no state program of immortalization of terror victims in the Russian Federation as well as a state structure which would compose a list of the victims.

Memorial activities were held all over the country
We ought to consider the 30th of October not only the Day in Memory of Victims of Political Repressions in the past but also the Day of protest against new repressions – present and coming, – says Leonid Trus, former political prisoner, member of the Novosibirsk human rights society Memorial.  Rallies, educational and informational programs, meetings with youth, musical concerts, conferences and memorial evenings were held Tumen, Tver, Ryazan, Vladimir, St. Petersbourg and in many other cities of the Russian Federation. Activists in Tver began to collect funds for erecting memorial in   memory of political repressions victims.