<< Issue 61 : 16 March 1981 >>

From 5 to 13 January 1981 the Supreme Court of the Komi ASSR, sitting in Vorkuta and presided over by its Vice-Chairman Ermilov, heard the case of exile Mark MOROZOV (b. 1931), who was arrested on 24 August 1980 (CCE 56). Morozov was charged under Article 70 of the Criminal Code. (For Morozov’s trial in June 1979, see CCE 53.14.)

The prosecutor was Procurator Shcherbakov. Morozov refused the defence lawyer appointed by the court and filed a petition requesting that his brother, who was present in the courtroom, be invited to act as his defence counsel. The petition was granted, but on 8 January Morozov refused the services of his brother too because the two men disagreed over the line of defence.

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CHARGES

In the indictment it is alleged that while serving his term of exile Morozov ‘did not abandon his ideological struggle’. He is charged with writing an article, ‘USSR – the Politics of Deceit’, and attempting to send it to the West through A. Stupnikov, who was detained during a search at the home of Irina Kaplun (March 1980, CCE 56.4). Singled out in the article are assertions of the type ‘wherever communists rule there is terror and persecution of dissenters’.

According to the indictment, the article describes Soviet foreign policy as aggressive, and claims that bacteriological weapons which threaten detente are being developed in the USSR. When he was already in an investigations prison Morozov prepared another three manuscript copies of the article to send to Stupnikov, Shubina and Irina Nagle (in Moscow, CCE 57.9-2), one of which was intercepted at the post office in a letter to Shubina, whilst the other two were confiscated during a search of his cell.

Morozov is also charged with sending a letter about his labour dispute with the administration of Pechora Mine Construction [PMC] to the Madrid Conference.

In addition, Morozov is charged with circulating in Vorkuta [Solzhenitsyn’s] The Gulag Archipelago and Igor Pomerantsev’s article ‘The Eye and the Tear’. The investigation proposed that separate criminal cases be brought against A. Stupnikov, I. Kaplun and I. Nagle.

Morozov pleaded guilty ‘not to all the charges’. He stated that he had begun to give evidence to the investigation on 20 November. Morozov categorically denied that he was the author of ‘USSR – the Politics of Deceit’, claiming disagreement with its contents: ‘It seemed to me to have been written harshly and hastily … What sane man would raise objections to detente?’ Morozov said that he had personally recopied the article from another copy passed to him in his cell through a warder; the typewritten copy confiscated from Stupnikov had not passed through his hands at all – he had personally become acquainted with it just before his arrest. The copy of the article was sent to Shubina ‘to deflect the attention of the KGB from the real author’; the two others were kept by him in his cell ‘to expose stool-pigeons’. Morozov admitted that he had given The Gulag Archipelago to Olga Gamburg for her to read, ‘because she threatened to cut her wrists if she didn’t get the book’, but claimed that the book had landed up in Lyutikov’s hands only for safe-keeping: ‘Whoever knows this man (he works as a barman) knows that he doesn’t read books’. Morozov admitted to circulating Pomerantsev’s article, but stated that he did not believe its circulation was prohibited in the USSR.

Morozov read out a statement about the inadmissible investigation methods of Investigator Turkin [Major Turkin, head of the Investigations Department of the Komi ASSR KGB, promoted to the rank of Lt-Colonel during the investigation, Chronicle]. Morozov dwelt on his persecution by the PMC administration (Iskra, Andryushechkin and Potyomkin): ‘Sosnovsky opened my eyes to the abuses committed by these people’.

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WITNESSES

Stupnikov, questioned next (a former television journalist, sacked from the Vorkuta television centre in November), testified that he had not known the contents of the envelopes which Morozov had sent to Moscow through him, nor had he received The Gulag Archipelago from him.

Witness Olga Gamburg (b. 1959; out of work since October 1979) testified that she had got to know Morozov through Lyutikov. She had received The Gulag Archipelago from Morozov, then passed it on to Lyutikov at Morozov’s request.

Gamburg stated that Morozov had held anti-Soviet conversations with her:

‘He said that the socialist system did not suit him, nor did the capitalist system. I don’t know what does suit him … He said that wherever communists rule there is terror and tyranny … He tried to persuade me to emigrate to southern Canada’.

Olga Gamburg denied that she had put pressure on Morozov in order to obtain The Gulag Archipelago. A dispute between Morozov and her arose in court on this matter. Morozov pointed out that Gamburg had started giving evidence even before his arrest, in February 1980, while she was still meeting him. ‘That means she’s an informer’. Witness M. Lishnevskaya, O. Gamburg’s mother, confirmed her daughter’s evidence.

Witness Glushkov (in 1979 warden of the hostel where Morozov lived, now editor of the Agitprop Department of Vorkuta television) confirmed the ‘circulation’ by Morozov of articles by Pomerantsev and Ernst Neizvestny, of letters to E. Berlinguer and USSR Procurator-General Rudenko, and of holding ‘anti-Soviet conversations’ – specifically, of proposing that he emigrate and that he write a book with Morozov about the Vorkuta camps.

Witness I. Volkov (equipment repairer) testified that he had been present when Morozov handed The Gulag Archipelago to Lyutikov. ‘Lyutikov’s wife found the book and showed it to me. I realized that the author of the book was an enemy … Together we devised a plan to take it to the KGB’.

Witness Potyomkin (head of the PMC department where Morozov worked) was highly critical of Morozov’s work record and testified that Morozov had tried to persuade him to emigrate.

Witness Korostelev, a local policeman who carried out surveillance of Morozov: ‘He saw a portrait of Stalin on the table in my room and said: “How can you keep this on your table when 66 million people died because of this man?” I replied that as far as I knew it was only 20 million’.

Witness Shugaliyeva (who worked with Morozov) testified that Morozov had conducted ‘anti-Soviet agitation’:

‘He mentioned one of our leaders and said he had gone senile. I won’t say his name’ (Judges, ‘We’ve understood’). ‘He spoke about events in Afghanistan, although we all understood it was fraternal assistance. Hespoke about communism, but, after all, the weather’s been bad, so the harvests are poor. We have to be patient. The leaders aren’t to blame’.

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Witness Zamostovsky (a cameraman at the Vorkuta television centre) gave evidence about conversations with Morozov in which the latter had spoken critically about the CPSU.

Procurator: But it says here in your evidence …

Zamostovsky: Yes, as long as he has the strength to do so, he’ll go on fighting against shortcomings.

Procurator: Against the Soviet system, the regime?

Judge: It says here ‘shortcomings’.

Zamostovsky: But I never supported him.

Judge: Don’t you think it’s necessary to fight against shortcomings?

Zamostovsky: I don’t see how one can do anything after 63 years of Soviet rule.

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Witness Sosnovsky (an engineer, formerly in prison for serving in the Nazi SS) testified that Morozov had proposed to his daughter that she emigrate (‘But why to his daughter? She has a house and an inheritance…’) and given him The Gulag Archipelago and Pomerantsev’s article.

At Morozov’s request Lyutikov’s evidence was read out.

Lyutikov alleged that The Gulag Archipelago had been given to him by Olga Gamburg for safekeeping; two days later Igor Volkov and his brother had taken it to the KGB.

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CLOSING SPEECHES

In his speech Procurator Shcherbakov rebutted Morozov’s accusations levelled at the investigators:

‘The investigation was carried out marvellously. All the witnesses testified to this. It was a good job.

‘Morozov thinks there’s nothing terrible about the article ‘The Eye and The Tear’, and that the first three issues of the journal Syntaxis [note 2] aren’t considered criminal by the Ukrainian KGB. But this article is from the fourth issue. We asked for the fourth issue and were told it wasn’t in the KGB archive. But why not suppose that the journal altered its line from the fourth issue?

‘… The KGB is a part of the Soviet system, which means the author is attacking the Soviet system as a whole. Morozov writes letters to our enemies in the Commission on Human Rights in Geneva, enemies who just love to sing about our shortcomings.

‘Morozov is guilty under Article 70 of the RSFSR Criminal Code of actions aimed at subverting the social and political system. This has been proved by the investigation and, although he is an ill man, I propose he be given ten years of strict-regime camps plus five years of exile, and that the period of exile not served under the previous charge be annulled.’

In his defence speech Morozov again denied he was the author of the article ‘USSR – the Politics of Deceit’, disputing expert opinion on this matter.

‘The text of my letters is the only grounds for the charge. At interrogations I testified that I agreed to be considered the author of the article in order to gain the support of a certain influential section of human rights defenders in connection with the administrative persecution unleashed against me at work …’

According to Morozov, Investigator Turkin tried to persuade him to name the author, suggesting Stupnikov and Ryazanov ‘as authors’. ‘A crime has been committed – an anti-Soviet article has been written’.

Morozov pointed out that the evidence of his cell-mates was not proof, since it had not been examined at the trial, besides which ‘…for my own purposes I did not conceal what I was writing. Against their will, three stool-pigeons have confirmed my innocence’.

Regarding the circulation of The Gulag Archipelago, Morozov drew attention to the fact that only one incident had been proven – that he had given the book to Olga Gamburg; all the rest was speculation on the part of the Procurator.

‘The only truth in the Procurator’s speech was that the country is in reality moving forward … But there are people who long for the past. They cannot live according to new norms and they pull the country backwards … The regime drags down those around them by its actions.

‘It is thanks to them that such filth has been thrown up in my investigation as Glushkov, Gamburg, Sosnovsky, Magomedov and Sleptsov. Glushkov gets 30 pieces of silver for his dirty deeds and a job at the TV centre … now we have a professional provocateur and slanderer in charge of communist education in Vorkuta.’

In his final speech Morozov limited himself to the statement:

‘…It’s pointless saying anything since I am being judged not in accordance with justice, but by the regime’.

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JUDGEMENT AND SENTENCE

From the judgement:

‘M. Morozov arrived in Vorkuta in July 1978 to serve five years in exile on a charge of circulating anti-Soviet material, but his repentance was not sincere. From the early days of his stay in Vorkuta M. Morozov conducted anti-Soviet agitation and propaganda, slandering Soviet life; this is contained in the evidence of witnesses Sosnovsky, Glushkov, Gamburg, Shugaliyeva and others.

‘Morozov engaged in the circulation of slanderous literature. With Mesyatseva’s help, he printed several copies of Pomerantsev’s article ‘The Eye and The Tear’ from the fourth issue of the journal Syntaxis. He gave one copy to Sosnovsky.

‘He engaged in the circulation of the book The Gulag Archipelago, gave it to 0. Gamburg, Lyutikov and Sosnovsky to read, and promised it to Glushkov.

‘He wrote letters to the UN Commission on Human Rights and the Secretary of the Italian Communist Party, Berlinguer [note 1], in which he made slanderous references to our way of life. He had prepared the letters to send, but they were confiscated during a search at Morozov’s home.

‘As has been established by the evidence of witnesses, the article ‘USSR – the Politics of Deceit’ was written by him, printed on a ‘Consul’ typewriter in Sazhnov’s room over the course of several evenings. The article was sent to Moscow with Stupnikov’s help and confiscated during a search of I. Kaplun’s home. The article is directed against detente and slanders our way of life.

‘While in prison, Morozov prepared another three copies of this article and placed them in envelopes addressed to Nagle and Stupnikov. The third copy was sent through the post by a person unknown to Shubina’s address, to be forwarded to The New York Times.’

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His sentence: eight years of strict-regime camps and eight months of camps in lieu of exile outstanding, plus five years of exile.

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NOTES

[1] Enrico Berlinguer, general secretary of the Italian Communist Party (PCI; 1972-1984). See Bukovsky Archive (5 October 1979*, St 179/32) for covert Soviet funding of the PCI.

[2] Syntaxis was a quarterly journal founded in Paris by Andrei Sinyavsky and edited between 1978 and 2001 by his wife Maria Rozanova. (Not to be confused with the poetic almanac of the same name compiled by Alexander Ginzburg in 1959-1960, CCE 50.3.)

*

Mark Aronovich MOROZOV died on 3 August 1986 in Chistopol Prison, see USSR News Update (1986, 17-1). He had been sent there from the Perm camps.

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