Tribune. One of Russia’s most painful problems is that of historical memory. It is a country in a state of permanent post-traumatic stress. His most serious psychological trauma is the memory of the Stalinist terror, when, according to the most moderate estimates, around 1 million people were executed and 5 million sent to camps.
Analysis and recognition of this terrible experience is a prerequisite for the recovery of a nation, a kind of inoculation against relapses into totalitarianism.
The Memorial Society, founded at the time of the democratization of Gorbachev by Andrei Sakharov, has set itself precisely this task, of colossal scope and of even more colossal importance: to keep alive the memory of an era of terrorism of State. An even more important task is turned towards the future: as long as we remember the names of all the victims and all the torturers, a repeat of the tragedy is impossible.
For the same reason, but for the exact opposite purpose, the current Russian regime is no longer prepared to tolerate the activities of the Memorial Society.
Putinism is the omnipotence of the security services, which have subjugated all branches of government. The direct heirs and successors of a system whose power has been built on fear and closure of mouths, intimidate again and shut their mouths – without it they will not be able to retain power.
Repression accelerates
The memory of the Stalinist purges and summary trials inevitably leads society to draw parallels with contemporary arrests, trumped-up cases and mock trials. The extent of the current repression still cannot be compared to that of Stalin’s time, but it is accelerating and stumbling the Memorial Society, which constantly carries out actions that irritate the security services: it organizes days commemorative signs, placing “Last Address” signs on houses bearing the names of the people who were arrested here. The Memorial Society has put together a huge database with names; it is not finished, but it already contains information on 3 million victims and 40,000 executioners. Everyone can look for their relatives there; often he finds them. It is a strong feeling that makes us look at the past and the present differently.
And now, the patience of the powers that be is at its end. The Office of the Prosecutor General of the Russian Federation demands the liquidation of this human rights organization. If Memorial Society is banned now, it will become a kind of dividing line after which memory will be monopolized by the Putin state. Soon children at school will be taught that Stalin was a great historical figure – almost as tall as Vladimir Putin – and that no one was ever punished without fail in great Russia.
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