On 23 January 1978, Andrei Tverdokhlebov (CCEs 40, 41) returned to Moscow from exile. On 31 January, the police cautioned Tverdokhlebov that he was in violation of the residence regulations and demanded that he leave the Moscow Region within three days. On 4 February, Tverdokhlebov was given a second caution.
Meanwhile, Tverdokhlebov began trying to obtain permission to live in Moscow, in his mother’s flat. Having been refused and received a certificate of this refusal from Police Station 13, he appealed on 6 February to the “Central passport office” [note 1] of the Moscow City Internal Affairs Department. The following day, Tverdokhlebov would have to return there with some further documents. On the evening of 6 February, however, no sooner had he arrived at his sister Yulia Zaks’s flat than the district policeman followed him into the apartment, together with some other people. The policeman examined Tverdokhlebov’s ID document [passport] and, although the second “72 hours” [time limit for a visit by a non-residents] had not yet expired, he asked both him and Yulia Zaks to come to the police station.
At Police Station 26, unexpectedly, Tverdokhlebov was formally recorded as “non-compliant” while his sister Yulia was fined for allowing an unregistered person to stay with her. Tverdokhlebov was detained at the police station. The next day a Judge sentenced him to 10 days’ in jail, alleging that Tverdokhlebov had refused to show his ID document [passport] or to proceed to the police station.
On 8 February, although Tverdokhlebov was asked to sign for the return of the articles taken from him on his arrest, he discovered that the list did not include the certificate from Police Station 13 (without this certificate he could not lodge his appeal at the Central passport office). In the police station they began to deny that they had removed this certificate: in fact, the district policeman had handed it to one of the ‘civilians’ accompanying him. Then Tverdokhlebov demanded the return of the stolen document and declared a hunger-strike which he maintained until his release on 16 February.
After 16 February, although not immediately, Tverdokhlebov received a duplicate of the certificate and was able to renew his efforts to obtain registration.
Several of the officials to whom he spoke gave him the oral reply that those convicted under Article 190-1 of the RSFSR Criminal Code cannot be permitted to reside in Moscow (see the section ‘Official Documents’ in CCE 34.21).
*
On 30 December 1977, Nadezhda Svetlichnaya (CCE 47) was issued a warning under the terms of the unpublished 25 December 1972 decree [CCE 30.13].
Nadiya Svitlichna, 1936-2006
The record of the warning mentioned:
- compilation and circulation of letters and statements about renunciation of her Soviet citizenship (CCE 44);
- participation in the preparation and circulation of Ukrainian Helsinki Group “Memoranda” Nos. 2, 3 (CCE 45) and 11, and of letters in defence of Mykola Rudenko and other political prisoners;
- bringing up her son incorrectly; and
- having an ideologically harmful influence on those around her.
*
The release of Nikolai Bondar (CCE 47) took place on 5 November 1977 in the town of Tulchin, Vinnitsa Region. He at once went to join his parents in the town of Vatutino, Cherkassy Region. Two hours after his arrival the police came for him. He was taken back to Tulchin,
Bondar was installed in a single room at a hotel and ordered not to leave the building until 9 November. That day he was rapidly (within in two hours) issued with an ID document [passport], after which he again returned to Vatutino. There Bondar was placed under surveillance. He has bad eyes but is not permitted to go to the clinic in Moscow with which he registered when he was in Vladimir Prison.
*
In August 1977, after his period of surveillance ended (CCE 47), Kuzma Matviyuk moved from Kirovograd Region to the village of Shubkiv in Rovno Region. He was accepted at Rovno experimental agriculture research station to perform the duties of senior research officer. Matviyuk was promised a flat within two months.
After a short time, however, the director of the station informed Matviyuk that receiving a flat was conditional on his behaviour and suggested that he “give a talk somewhere”. Matviyuk refused, and the attitude towards him changed. A groundless penalty was imposed on him (time off was classified as absenteeism), his probationary period was extended by three months and his research plan was not confirmed. Matviyuk tried to get a job at a similar experimental station in Khmelnitsky Region. There they agreed to accept both himself and his wife as senior research officers and promised to give them a flat in three weeks time. Matviyuk’s wife started work at the Khmelnitsky experimental station while Matviyuk continued working (until his wife received a flat) in Rovno. A few days later Matviyuk’s wife was told that there would be no flat and that they could not give Matviyuk a job.
On 7 December 1977, an unknown young man conveyed to Matviyuk that official bodies who “had enough work dealing with their own nationalists” wanted him to leave the Rovno Region.
On 1 February 1978, Matviyuk was summoned to the Rovno KGB for questioning in connection with the case of Levko Lukyanenko (in this issue, CCE 48.3). At the interrogation KGB officials assured Matviyuk that they were indifferent to the fate of his family and tried to persuade him to “draw his own conclusions”.
On 13 February, the scientific-technical council of the Rovno agricultural research station did not confirm Matviyuk in his post, despite a good reference and the absence of criticisms of his work. On 27 February he was dismissed.
*
In November 1977, a writ for the recovery of 2,510 roubles 38 kopeks in costs in connection with a sentence of espionage (rescinded in August 1976) was received at the timber concern where Ma Khun is working (CCE 42). Ma Khun’s wages began to be docked by 40 per cent. He appealed against the writ. On 5 February 1978, a document was sent from the tribunal revoking the writ and ordering restitution of the sum deducted.
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NOTE
[1] The passport office dealt with the registration of Soviet citizens and permission to reside in the city. The so-called “passport” (re-introduced in 1929) was an ID document; it conferred no right to travel outside the USSR.
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