Now that we started to talk about the past, you should also tell us some more details on how the review of the juridicial files of illegally repressed citizens was carried out. How did you get in touch with the “Memorial” organization? Would it be worthwhile, from your point of view, to publish list containing the names of all rehabilitated citizens, who live or lived in our region?
- In the meantime rehabilitatuons of illegally repressed citizens are going on all over the country. Every now and then, however, when listening to a conversation, you will hear that it is not worthwhile to immerse oneself too deeply into the past, that one should start to forget about all this after all, as if it was just a bad dream, a nightmare and that knowing about all these illegalities of the 1930s and 1940s, as well as the early 1950s, will just unnecessarily shake the people’s belief in the principles of justice. I am deeply convinced that this is not the case.
The people should not only recall all the glorious sides and positive experiences of their history; it must also learn the full truth about the dark pages of the past.
The scythe of illegality wiped out its victims regardless of their age, sex, nationality and social position – workers and farmers, military leaders, statesmen, celebrities and notabilities.
Among the victims were numerous journalists who had not managed to escape this tragic fate, either. In our archives we found, for example, files on the cases of the former editor of the “Krasnoyarsk Komsomolets” (newspaper) – G.L. Gubanov, and the responsible secretary – B.I. Lekhim. If you have a look at their verdicts it becomes evident that they were blamed just for having been “members of an insurgent, terrorist organisation”. However, even a non-expert, an absolut layperson, can easily notice that the documents which the preliminary proceedings were based on, had been fabricated, due to pretended self-incrimination of the accused and entirely implausible witness accounts. In July 1938 the thread of life of these honest, upright people ruptured all of a sudden. Now the rehabilitation certificates were issued on them.
We have to note that many who worked for the state security organs, recognized the dangerous atmosphere of suspicion and measures of repression during the time of the personality cult much earlier than other people, but when starting to resolutely take action against such appearances, became the victims of arbitrariness themselves. From 1935-1938 the state security organs were subject to repeated “purges”. Thousands of experienced,upright chekists, among them those who were carrying the heavy burden of the fight against the counter-revolution during the civil war and the time of uprisings on their shoulders, were wiped out. They also killed those, who had cooperated with F.E. Dzerzhinskiy, and many of the founders and leaders of the All-Russian Cheka.
At present, in Krasnoyarsk Territory, the rehabilitation of individuals who were sentenced by extrajudicial law-courts, such as “Dvoikas”, “Troikas” or “Special Boards”, is coming to an end. After the close examination of all cases available with the archival holdings of the KGB administration, about 9000 people were rehabilitated.
The number of cases (files) not being subject to verification amount to approximately 10% of the total existing material. Members of the “Memorial” organization not only once contacted us, asking us to assist them with the search of relatives of victims of reprisals, in order to receive information about their fate. We do our best to provide our assistance.
Only recently there was a meeting between the head of the KGB administration and the chairman of the “Memorial” organization. They had been invited to our premises. They discussed in a very constructive way possibilities of a closer cooperation on this kind of research projects, as well as a series of other topical problems. With regard to the publication of namelists of rehabilitated citizens I can say that we have already forwarded some well-prepared material to the regional Council of People’s Deputees, which will make the final decision about the publication.
(Fragments of a conversation with the deputy head of the USSR KGB administration of Krasnoyarsk Territory – N.M. Novoselov)
The interview was held by S. Saraiskiy.
Tim assigns tasks. Krasnoyarsk Evening Paper, 1 March 1990.