«CCE 49.19-1, May 1978» “The 'Chronicle of Current Events' was born during the events of 1968 and is by its very essence the printed embodiment of the spirit of 1968 -- based not on a political, but a moral and spiritual resistance, on the Word of Truth," write the editors of 'Pamyat' [1]. "Its tenacity … Continue reading The “Chronicle” is Ten Years Old (1978)
<<No 35 : 31 May 1975>> FOUR DOCUMENTS: REMOVAL OF BOOKS FROM LIBRARIES AND BOOKSTORES. * RSFSR Ministry of Culture (1) 12 December 1974. No. 01-305/22, index 103 693, Moscow K-74, 7 Kitaisky Street FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY [DSP] {1} TO: ASSR Ministries of Culture, Cultural Administrations in Regional Soviet Executive Committees. main Cultural Administrations … Continue reading Official Documents, March 1975 (35.15)
<<No 34 : 31 December 1974>> Documents circulating in Georgian samizdat accuse the present hierarchy of the Georgian Orthodox Church, together with leading officials of the Georgian SSR's government and its KGB, of criminal activities [1]. * SEVEN ITEMS [1] KORIDZE'S REPORT The most important such document is "A Report on Crimes Committed in the … Continue reading Samizdat & the Georgian Patriarchate, 1974 (34.13)
<<No 46 : 15 August 1977>> INVESTIGATION OF HELSINKI GROUPS 5-1. Ginzburg & Orlov. 5-2. Shcharansky, Ukraine, Georgia. * [1] The Shcharansky Case AZBEL On 20 May 1977, Mark Azbel (CCE 45.18 [9]) was summoned to the central KGB office. A KGB general, who did not give his name, demanded that Azbel should change his … Continue reading Investigation of Helsinki Groups, Aug 1977 (46.5-2)
<<No 45 : 25 May 1977>> [1] LYUBARSKY On 10 May 1977, Kronid Lyubarsky sent a statement (CCE 44.18) to the chairman of the Tarusa town soviet executive committee: “In January of this year I was forcibly and unlawfully sent to live in Tarusa despite the fact that exile was not part of my sentence. … Continue reading After Release, May 1977 (45.12)
<<No 44 : 16 March 1977>> 26-1. Registration and Exchange of Flats; Trial of Pyotr Naritsa (1-15). 26-2. Sakharov: Exchange of letters (with President J. Carter); Six media interviews (16-22). * 16. Correspondence with US President On 21 January 1977 Sakharov sent this letter to President Carter. "Dear Mr Carter, "It is very important to … Continue reading Statements by Sakharov, Oct 1976-Feb 1977 (44.26-2)
«No 47 : 30 November 1977» THE RIGHT TO LEAVE 8-1 Introduction. 8-2 Pentecostalists. 8-3 Those who Have Left. 8-4 The Jewish movement. * PENTECOSTALISTS. FAR EAST. KRASNODAR. ROVNO. BALTIC. ELSEWHERE. LETTER * 1. Primorsky Region (Krai), Soviet Far East. On 10 September Boris I. Perchatkin and V.F. Patrushev from Nakhodka (Primorsky Region) and M.I. … Continue reading Pentecostalists, November 1977 (47.8-2)
«No 47 : 30 November 1977» FIFTEEN ENTRIES (Periodicals: 9, 10, 13) [1] Naum Meiman “The Monument at Baby Yar” (15 September 1977) 4 pp. Concerns the efforts of the authorities to hide the fact that those exterminated at Baby Yar in September 1941 were primarily Jews. * [2] Tatyana Khodorovich and Victor Nekipelov To … Continue reading Samizdat Update, November 1977 (47.18)
<<No. 56 : 30 April 1980>> 19-1. Catholics in Lithuania. 19-2. Baptists and Pentecostalists. * 2. BAPTISTS. 2.1: The Trial of Valentin Naprienko (Donetsk, east Ukraine). On 6 September 1979, the UkSSR Supreme Court quashed the verdict in the case of Valentin NAPRIENKO, who had been sentenced in Donetsk on 27 June to three years’ … Continue reading Persecution of Believers, 1979-1980 (56.19-2)
«No 58 : November 1980» From 16 to 18 September 1980 the Kalinin [Tver] Region Court, presided over by Judge A.N. Kiselyova, heard the case of Josif Getselevich DYADKIN (b. 1928), arrested on 25 April (CCE 56.13), and Sergei Maximovich GORBACHOV (b. 1952) arrested on 5 June (CCE 57.9-1). Both were charged under Article 190-1 … Continue reading Dyadkin & Gorbachov’s trial, September 1980 (58.20)
<<No 46 : 15 August 1977>> Apart from the widely publicized expressions of approval in the Soviet press -- some containing corrections and additions (mostly of a minor nature) -- the proposed Constitution has given rise to a number of letters containing serious comments and well-argued proposals. These letters were sent to the Constitution Commission, … Continue reading Draft Constitution [1], August 1977 (46.18-1)
<<No 57 : 3 August 1980>> Father Dmitry Dudko was arrested on 15 January 1980 (CCE 56.9). * Dmitry Dudko (1922-2004) * His “statement of repentance” was broadcast on Soviet television on 20 June 1980. On 21 June, a similar statement was published in the Moscow evening issue of Izvestiya: “... At first, I denied … Continue reading The Repentance of Father Dudko, June 1980 (57.8)
<<No 53 : 1 August 1979>> PARDONS. AN EXCHANGE. GINZBURG'S FAMILY * (1) Pardons. On 15 June 1970, a group of people who were planning to hijack an aeroplane and escape abroad in it were arrested in Leningrad. In December of the same year, they were sentenced to various terms of imprisonment, and on two … Continue reading Political Releases, April 1979 (53.1)
<<No 45 : 25 May 1977>> In March-April 1977 members of the Ukrainian Helsinki group (Oles Berdnik, Oksana Meshko, Mykola Matusevich, Miroslav Marinovich, Levko Lukyanenko, Ivan Kandyba and Pyotr Vins) were summoned for interrogation in connection with the case of Rudenko and Tykhy (CCE 44.4), who are charged with “anti-Soviet agitation and propaganda”. Matusevich and … Continue reading The Rudenko-Tikhy Case, May 1977 (45.6)
<<No. 50 : November 1978>> Ida Yakovlevna NUDEL (b. 1931) has been a refusenik since December 1971. During all this time she has been actively involved in the Jewish emigration movement. In 1972 she was twice jailed for 15 days. * COMPLAINT Her case file contains a statement to the chief of Police Station 72 … Continue reading The Trial of Ida Nudel, June 1978 (50.8-2)
<<No 48 : 14 March 1978>> On 2 July 1977, the 8-year term of imprisonment of Mikhail Makarenko [1] came to an end. A few weeks before its completion he was transferred to Leningrad. * LENINGRAD Here, in the internal KGB prison, he was told that in view of his bad character reference, the KGB … Continue reading The Release of Makarenko, July 1977 (48.13-2)
<<No 48 : 14 March 1978>> ALEXANDER, KIRILL AND PINKHOS ABRAMOVICH On 1 December 1977, the brothers Alexander and Kirill Podrabinek (CCE 47.3-2) and their father Pinkhos Abramovich PODRABINEK were summoned for a chat by Yu.S. Belov, chief of a department at the Moscow City and Regional KGB. Alexander refused to appear. “On behalf of … Continue reading The Podrabinek case, 1977-1978 (48.7)
<< No 39 : 12 March 1976 >> On 9 May 1975, at 12 noon, on the 30th anniversary of the victory over German fascism, a Jewish anti-fascist meeting took place in Minsk [1]. War veterans, former partisans and young people gathered in the one-time ghetto district. About five hundred people were present, including Jews … Continue reading In Defence of Yefim Davidovich, 1975-1976 (39.4)
<<No 41 : 3 August 1976>> 2-1. A Lecture by Furin, USSR Council for Religious Affairs. 2-2. A Letter by Lev Regelson and Gleb Yakunin. 2-3. A new Way of Fighting Religion (Argentov & Ogorodnikov). 2-4. Evangelical Christians and Baptists. 2-5. Pentecostals. * At the end of May 1976, staff working on the Large Soviet … Continue reading Religion in the USSR, Furin lecture, May 1976 (41.2-1)
<< No 32 : 17 July 1974 >> Expulsion from the USSR & Leningrad Writers Unions 17-1. Lydia Chukovskaya 17-2. Vladimir Voinovich 17-3. Dismissal of Yefim Etkind * expelled from the USSR Writers’ Union In March 1974, the Newsletter of the USSR Writers' Union Board Secretariat (an internal publication) contained the following announcement: In the … Continue reading Lydia Chukovskaya, January 1974 (32.17-1)
<<No 34 : 31 December 1974>> From 9 to 13 September 1974 the Leningrad City Court, Judge Karlov and People’s Assessors Karpov and Kosenko, heard the case of Mikhail Ruvimovich HEIFETZ. (For details of his arrest and the pre-trial investigation, see CCE 32.6). Heifetz was charged under Article 70 (RSFSR Criminal Code). The charges were … Continue reading The Trial of Heifetz, September 1974 (34.2)
<<No 60 : 31 December 1980>> On 26 September 1980 the feminist Natalya Lazareva (b. 1947) was arrested in Leningrad. On feminism, see CCE 55.9 "Miscellaneous Reports" (and CCE 57.18 "The Right to Leave"). She was charged and convicted [1] under Article 190-1 (RSFSR Criminal Code). * On 16 December searches were conducted in Leningrad … Continue reading Lazareva and Maltseva arrested, Sept 1980 (60.9)
<<No 52 : 1 March 1979>> On 8 January 1977 an explosion occurred in a Moscow underground train. The authorities immediately tried to link this act of terrorism with dissident activity (CCE 44.16). On 31 January 1979 the following report was published: * In the USSR Supreme Court "The Judicial Board for Criminal Cases of … Continue reading The Metro Explosion Trial, March 1979 (52.1)
<< No 40 : 20 May 1976 >> A Statement by Tatiana KHODOROVICH. At trials in Odessa, Moscow, Omsk and Vilnius, people have again been prosecuted and found guilty for thoughts they have expressed – and even for thoughts they have not expressed. The following sentences have been passed: Vyacheslav Igrunov – sent to an … Continue reading “No Thought Trials in the USSR”, May 1976 (40.1)
<<No 38 : 31 December 1975>> On 9 October 1975, the Nobel Committee of the Norwegian Parliament awarded the annual Nobel Prize for "Activities contributing to Peace" to Andrei Dmitrievich SAKHAROV (aged 54). * [1] Sakharov heard that he had won the Peace Prize from foreign journalists on the evening of 9 October. "I hope … Continue reading Sakharov’s Friends & Enemies, December 1975 (38.1)
«No 58 : November 1980» 1-1. Investigation. TRIAL: charges, witnesses ... 1-2. TRIAL: closing words, Soviet press, public response * From 27 to 29 August the case of Tatyana Mikhailovna VELIKANOVA (b. 1932; arrested 1 November 1979, CCE 54.1), was heard by the Moscow City Court, presided over by Deputy Chairman of the Court V.G. … Continue reading Velikanova Trial, August 1980, Part 1 (58.1-1)
<<No 37 : 30 September 1975>> On 19 June 1975, three days before the end of Mustafa Dzhemilev’s one-year term of imprisonment “for ignoring a summons for military service” (CCE 32.9), a fresh charge was brought against him under Article 190-1 (RSFSR Criminal Code). Dzhemilev declared a hunger strike. On the same day Investigator Guselnikova … Continue reading Dzhemilev has not been freed, Sept 1975 (37.1)
<<No 23 : 5 January 1972>> THE BUKOVSKY CASE 1.1 -- Appeals and Trial 1.2 -- Final Words * 1.1: APPEALS & TRIAL * (a) Appeals and Statements PSYCHIATRY In a letter of 26 November 1971 [1] addressed to the 5th International Congress of Psychiatrists in Mexico, the Action Group announced its support "for the … Continue reading Bukovsky Case, November 1971-January 1972 (23.1-1)
«No 17 : 31 December 1970» THE "HIJACKERS" TRIAL 6-1. Charges, defendants, witnesses 6-2. Final words, sentence, appeals * From 15 to 24 December 1970, the following eleven people [1] went on trial: Mark Yu. DYMSHITS Eduard S. KUZNETSOV Sylva I. ZALMANSON Josif M. MENDELEVICH Izrail I. ZALMANSON Yury P. FYODOROV Alexei G. MURZHENKO Anatoly … Continue reading “Hijackers” Trial, December 1970, Leningrad (17.6-1)
<<No 16 : 31 October 1970>> * FEBRUARY 1969 In February 1969, the Armenian SSR Supreme Court considered a case in closed session. A.S. Yegiazaryan, chaired the trial; G.M. Gamaryan was State prosecutor. G. Aroyan and A. Mosoyan were counsels for the defence. The six defendants were: O.M. Vasilyan (b. 1936); A.U. Babayan (b. 1915), … Continue reading Trials in Yerevan, 1969-1970 (16.4)
<<No 16 : 31 October 1970>> On 8 October 1970 the Swedish Royal Academy of Literature awarded the Nobel Prize to Alexander Isayevich SOLZHENITSYN "for moral strength in the development of the best traditions of Russian literature". * [1] On the same day, during a brief interview with a Swedish correspondent in Moscow, A.I. Solzhenitsyn … Continue reading Solzhenitsyn’s Friends & Foes, October 1970 (16.1)
«No 13 : 30 April 1970 » The trial of Valeria Novodvorskaya took place on 16 March 1970 in the Moscow Region Court. A 2nd-year student at the Institute of Foreign Languages (CCE 11.7), Novodvorskaya was charged under Article 70 (RSFSR Criminal Code: "Anti-Soviet Agitation & Propaganda"). * She was accused of preparing and afterwards … Continue reading Valeria Novodvorskaya’s Trial, March 1970 (13.2)
«No 8 : 30 June 1969» On 20 May 1969 a letter was sent to the UN Commission on Human Rights [1] with a request to look into the violation in the Soviet Union of one of the basic human rights, the right to hold independent convictions and to propagate them by any legal means. … Continue reading Appeal to the United Nations, May 1969 (8.10)
<<No 7 : 30 June 1969>> 19 NAMES. DNEPROPETROVSK [DNIPRO]: (1-11) "ZORYA" NEWSPAPER [1-4] [1] S.Yu. Sheinin, one of the oldest journalists on the newspaper Zorya [Dawn], has been expelled from the Party and dismissed from work for a favourable review of The Cathedral, a novel by Oles Gonchar (Ukr. Honchar) [1]. [2] M.T. Skoryk, … Continue reading Extra-judicial repression, Ukraine & elsewhere, 1968-9 (7.12)
<<No 2 : 30 June 1968>> Vladimir Region, Alexandrov, 27 Novinskaya St. To: G.A. Mitiryov, Chairman of the [USSR] Red Cross Society; B.V. Petrovsky, USSR Minister of Health; A.A. Pokrovsky, Director of the Food Institute, USSR Academy of Medical Sciences; Alexy, Patriarch of All Russia; M.V. Keldysh, President of the USSR Academy of Sciences; V.D. … Continue reading A Letter from Anatoly Marchenko, April 1968 (2.6)
<<No 23 : 5 January 1972>> A SELECT BIBLIOGRAPHY. (1) DOCUMENTS: 1 (a) General. 1 (b) Trials, demonstrations, persecution. 1 (c) National and religious movements. (2) BOOKS BY SOVIET PARTICIPANTS: 2 (a) problems of Soviet society. 2 (b) Belles-lettres. (3) BOOKS BY WESTERN SCHOLARS AND OBSERVERS * (1) DOCUMENTS 1 (a): General Anon, ed., La … Continue reading Western Publications on the Soviet Human Rights Movement, 1972 (23.11)
<<No 48 : 14 March 1978>> CAMPS & PRISONS 10-1. A Meeting Before Execution. MVD Directives. Vladimir Prison 10-2. Mordovia. Perm. Other Prisons & Camps. [A camp uprising] 10-3. (8) Letters and Statements by Political Prisoners; (9) Releases * 8. Letters and Statements 25 Letters and Statements by Political Prisoners [1] Georgy Davydov “Statement to … Continue reading Camps and prisons, March 1978 (48.10-3)
A Chronicle of Current Events 