Journal of the Human Rights Mmemed in the USSR
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so of Journalof theHuman Rights Mmemed in theUSSR 28-31 AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL is a worldwide human rights movement which is independent of any government, political faction, ideology or religious creed. It works for the release of men and women imprisoned anywhere for their beliefs, colour, ethnic origin or religion, provided they have neither used nor advocated violence. These are termed "prisoners of conscience". r •t AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL opposes torture and capital punishment in all cases and without reservation. It advocates fair and speedy trials for all political prisoners. rr AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL seeks observance throughout the world of the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights and of the UN Standard Minimum Rules for the Treatment of Prisoners. Numbers 28 31 AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL has consultative status with the United Nations (ECOSOC) and the Council of Europe, has cooperative relations with the Inter- American Commission on Human Rights of the Organization of American States, is recognized by UNESCO, and has observer status with the Organization of African Unity (Bureau for the Placement and Education of African Refugees). English translation copyright by Amnesty International, 1975 All rights reserved Published May 1975 by Amnesty International Publications hinted by the Russell Press, Nottingham, England ISBN 0-900058 04 8 COPYRIGHT OF PHOTOGRAPHS: The copyright of the photograph of the Human Rights Committee on page 44 belongs to The New York Times. Requests for permission ro reproduce any of the other photographs in this book should be directed to Amnesty International Publications, 53 Theobald's Road, London WC1X 8SP, England, which will pass such requests on to the copyright-holders. Cover:Page from original samizdat supplement to Chronicle 17(included in the Amnesty International edition of 18), listing some of the Amnesty International Publications persons convicted or arrested for political 53 Theobald's Road London WC1X 8SP England reasons in 1969 and giving some details. 1975 2 RSFSR CRIMINAL CODE Each republic within the Soviet Union has its own criminal code. The Chronicle frequently refers to specific articles of Soviet law. The three articles mentioned most often are found in the criminal code of the Russian Soviet Federated Socialist Republic—RSFSR for short. These articles read: Article 70 Anti-Soviet Agitation and Propaganda. Agitation or propaganda CONTENTS (main section) carried on for the purpose of subverting or weakening Soviet authority or of committing particular especially dangerous crimes against the state, or the [verbal] spreading for the same purpose of slanderous fabrications which defame the Soviet political and social system, or the circulation or preparation or keeping, for the same purpose, of literature of such content, shall be punished by RSFSR Criminal Code deprivation of freedom for a term of 6 months to 7 years, with or 2 without additional exile for a term of 2 to 5 years, or by exile for a Preface by Amnesty International 4 term of 2 to 5 years. Glossary 5 Article 190-1 Dissemination of Fabrications known to be false which defame the A Chronicle of Current Events Number 28 7 Soviet political and social system. The systematic dissemination by word of mouth of deliberate fabrications which defame the Soviet A Chronicle of Current Events Number 29 45 political and social system, or the manufacture or dissemination in A Chronicle of Current Events Number 30 81 written, printed or other form of works of the same content, shall be A Chronicle of Current Events Number 31 125 punished by deprivation of freedom for a term not exceeding 3 years, or by corrective labour for a term not exceeding one year, or by a Names Index 162 fine not exceeding 100 rubles. Bibliographical Note • 168 Article 227 Infringement of the Person and Rights of Citizens under the Pretext of Performing Religious Rites. Organizing or leading a group whose ILLUSTRATIONS activities are carried on under the pretext of teaching religious doctrine and performing religious rites which entail harming the Frontispiece 16 health of citizens or any other infringement of the person or rights Map of the USSR 10 of individuals, either prompting citizens to refuse to participate in Photographs 8,18,19,44,80,95,124,159,161 social activity or fulfil their civil obligations, and likewise enticing minors into this group, shall be punished by deprivation of freedom for a term not exceeding 5 years or by exile for a similar term with or without confiscation of property. The active participation in the activity of a group specified in paragraph one of the present article, or systematic propaganda directed at the commission of acts defined therein, shall be punished by deprivation of freedom for a term not exceeding 3 years, or by exile for the same term, or by corrective labour for a term not exceeding one year. Note: If the acts of persons indicated in paragraph two of this article, and the persons themselves, do not represent a great social danger, measures of social pressure may be applied to them. ------ 5 This book is a translation of copies of the original typewritten texts of these numbers. Only footnotes and the words in square brackets have been added to the text itself. Other material, such as the table of contents, glossary, page on the PREFACE RSFSR criminal code, the photographs, map of the Soviet Union, names index, bibliographical note and material on the outside and inside of the cover have been added by Amnesty International to help the general reader. None of this material appeared in the original texts. Footnotes have been kept to a minimum, partly because the Russian text already refers readers to earlier issues, and partly because the names index gathers together all references to a particular person. Unlike in earlier translations, Ukrainian names are here given in transliteration from the Russian, not Ukrainian forms. Since Amnesty International has no control over the writing of A Chronicle of Current Events,we cannot guarantee the veracity of all its contents. Nor do we A Chronicle of Current Events was initiallyproduced in 1968 as a bi-monthly take responsibility for any opinions or judgements which may appear or be implied journal. In the spring of that year members of the Soviet Civil Rights Movement in its contents. Yet Amnesty International, in resuming publication of the created the journal with the stated intention of publicizing issues and events related Chronicle, continues to regard it as an authentic and reliable source of information to Soviet citizens' efforts to exercise fundamental human liberties. On the title page on matters of direct concern to our own work for the worldwide observance of the of every issue of A Chronicle of Current Eventsthere appears the text of Article 19 Universal Declaration of Human Rights. of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which calls for universal freedom of opinion and expression. The authors are guided by the principle that such universal Amnesty International guarantees of human rights, and similar guarantees in their domestic law, should be April 1975 firmly adhered to in their own country and elsewhere. They feel that "it is essential that truthful information about violations of basic human rights in the Soviet Union should be available to all who are interested in it." The Chronicles consistalmost entirely of accounts of such violations. GLOSSARY Although the Constitution of the USSR (article 125) guarantees "freedom of the press", the Soviet state officially reserves for itself and for officially-approved Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic. Subordinate organizations the right to decide what may or may not appear in print. Since 1930 ASSR publishing has been a virtual monopoly of the Soviet state, and printing has been to an SSR (see below) and based on the minority a complete monopoly. In the past decade and a half many Soviet citizens whose nationality whose home is on the territory. The writings have not been published through official channels have reproduced their Mordovian ASSR, for example, is subordinate to the Russian Soviet Federated Socialist Republic work in samizdat form. These samizdat("self-published") writings circulate from hand to hand, often being re-typed on the chain-letter principle. and so named because it is the home of the Mordovian national minority. In an early issue it was stated that "the Chronicledoes, and will do, its utmost to ensure that its strictly factual style is maintained to the greatest degree possible...." The Chronicle hasconsistently maintained a high standard of accuracy. When any KGB Committee for State Security piece of information has not been thoroughly verified, this is openly acknowledged. Ministry for the Preservation of Public Order. When mistakes in reporting occur, these mistakes are retrospectively drawn to the MOOP Renamed MVD in 1966 attention of the readers. Furthermore the Chroniclefrequently reproduces without any editorial comment official documents such as governmental edicts, bills of Ministry of Internal Affairs indictment, protocols of searches, investigation officials' reports, etc. MVD In February 1971, starting with number 16, Amnesty International began publi- RSFSR Russian Soviet Federated Socialist Republic shing English translations of the Chroniclesas they appeared. Publication of the Chroniclesceased temporarily after issue number 27, dated 15 October 1972, as a SSR Soviet Socialist Republic, of which there are 15 result of a KGB operation