Rehabilitation (Soviet)
Encyclopedia
Rehabilitation in the context of the former Soviet Union
, and the Post-Soviet states
, was the restoration of a person who was criminally prosecuted without due basis, to the state of acquittal
. A form of political rehabilitation
as relates to the Soviet Union.
Rehabilitation used in this way is a linguistic false cognate
for the Russian
term reabilitatsiya.
of the victims of Soviet repressions started after the death of Joseph Stalin
. Initially, in 1953, this did not entail any form of exoneration, and the amnestees were released into internal exile in remote areas, without any right to return to their original places of settlement. The amnesty
was applied first for those who had been sentenced for a term of at most 5 years prosecuted for those articles in the Soviet Criminal Code that were not political (for example children of those repressed on political grounds were often prosecuted as "antisocial elements", i.e. on the same grounds as prostitutes). The regular release of political prisoner
s from Gulag
labor camps started in 1954. This release became coupled with rehabilitations after Nikita Khrushchev
's denunciation of Stalinism
in his 1956 speech On the Personality Cult and its Consequences
.
In most cases, the persons were released with the phrases "due to the lack of a criminal matter" and "based on previously unavailable information". Some were released "due to the lack of a proof of guilt". Many rehabilitations occurred posthumously. Many cases were subject to amnesty only, but not to rehabilitation (in particular those who were prosecuted for "belonging to Trotskyite Opposition").
Both the modern Russian Federation and Ukraine
have enacted laws "On the Rehabilitation of the Victims of Political Repressions", which provide the basis for the continued post-Stalinist rehabilitation of victims.
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
, and the Post-Soviet states
Post-Soviet states
The post-Soviet states, also commonly known as the Former Soviet Union or former Soviet republics, are the 15 independent states that split off from the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics in its dissolution in December 1991...
, was the restoration of a person who was criminally prosecuted without due basis, to the state of acquittal
Acquittal
In the common law tradition, an acquittal formally certifies the accused is free from the charge of an offense, as far as the criminal law is concerned. This is so even where the prosecution is abandoned nolle prosequi...
. A form of political rehabilitation
Political rehabilitation
Political rehabilitation is the process by which a member of a political organization or government who has fallen into disgrace, is restored to public life. It is usually applied to leaders or other prominent individuals who regain their prominence after a period in which they have no influence or...
as relates to the Soviet Union.
Rehabilitation used in this way is a linguistic false cognate
False cognate
False cognates are pairs of words in the same or different languages that are similar in form and meaning but have different roots. That is, they appear to be, or are sometimes considered, cognates, when in fact they are not....
for the Russian
Russian language
Russian is a Slavic language used primarily in Russia, Belarus, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan. It is an unofficial but widely spoken language in Ukraine, Moldova, Latvia, Turkmenistan and Estonia and, to a lesser extent, the other countries that were once constituent republics...
term reabilitatsiya.
Rehabilitation of the victims of Soviet repressions
Mass amnestyAmnesty
Amnesty is a legislative or executive act by which a state restores those who may have been guilty of an offense against it to the positions of innocent people, without changing the laws defining the offense. It includes more than pardon, in as much as it obliterates all legal remembrance of the...
of the victims of Soviet repressions started after the death of Joseph Stalin
Joseph Stalin
Joseph Vissarionovich Stalin was the Premier of the Soviet Union from 6 May 1941 to 5 March 1953. He was among the Bolshevik revolutionaries who brought about the October Revolution and had held the position of first General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union's Central Committee...
. Initially, in 1953, this did not entail any form of exoneration, and the amnestees were released into internal exile in remote areas, without any right to return to their original places of settlement. The amnesty
Amnesty
Amnesty is a legislative or executive act by which a state restores those who may have been guilty of an offense against it to the positions of innocent people, without changing the laws defining the offense. It includes more than pardon, in as much as it obliterates all legal remembrance of the...
was applied first for those who had been sentenced for a term of at most 5 years prosecuted for those articles in the Soviet Criminal Code that were not political (for example children of those repressed on political grounds were often prosecuted as "antisocial elements", i.e. on the same grounds as prostitutes). The regular release of political prisoner
Political prisoner
According to the Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English, a political prisoner is ‘someone who is in prison because they have opposed or criticized the government of their own country’....
s from Gulag
Gulag
The Gulag was the government agency that administered the main Soviet forced labor camp systems. While the camps housed a wide range of convicts, from petty criminals to political prisoners, large numbers were convicted by simplified procedures, such as NKVD troikas and other instruments of...
labor camps started in 1954. This release became coupled with rehabilitations after Nikita Khrushchev
Nikita Khrushchev
Nikita Sergeyevich Khrushchev led the Soviet Union during part of the Cold War. He served as First Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union from 1953 to 1964, and as Chairman of the Council of Ministers, or Premier, from 1958 to 1964...
's denunciation of Stalinism
Stalinism
Stalinism refers to the ideology that Joseph Stalin conceived and implemented in the Soviet Union, and is generally considered a branch of Marxist–Leninist ideology but considered by some historians to be a significant deviation from this philosophy...
in his 1956 speech On the Personality Cult and its Consequences
On the Personality Cult and its Consequences
On the Personality Cult and its Consequences was a report, critical of Joseph Stalin, made to the Twentieth Party Congress on February 25, 1956 by Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev. It is more commonly known as the Secret Speech or the Khrushchev Report...
.
In most cases, the persons were released with the phrases "due to the lack of a criminal matter" and "based on previously unavailable information". Some were released "due to the lack of a proof of guilt". Many rehabilitations occurred posthumously. Many cases were subject to amnesty only, but not to rehabilitation (in particular those who were prosecuted for "belonging to Trotskyite Opposition").
Both the modern Russian Federation and Ukraine
Ukraine
Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It has an area of 603,628 km², making it the second largest contiguous country on the European continent, after Russia...
have enacted laws "On the Rehabilitation of the Victims of Political Repressions", which provide the basis for the continued post-Stalinist rehabilitation of victims.
Further reading
- Adler, N. The Gulag Survivor: Beyond the Soviet System. New Brunswick, USA/London: Transaction Publishers, 2002.
- Iakovlev, A. (ed.) Reabilitatsiia: politicheskie protsessy 30-50-kh godov. Moscow: Politizdat, 1991.
- Smith, K. Remembering Stalin’s Victims: Popular Memory and the End of the USSR. Cornell University Press, 1996.