Secret materials

The Interdepartmental Commission for the Protection of State Secrets refused to declassify the archives of the People’s Commissariat of Internal Affairs and the State Security Committee with data on the work of special services for the period from 1917 to 1991. To provide classified information from the archives of the ICVD-CGB requires the unification of lawyers "Team 29". A corresponding petition was sent to the commission, which collected 60 thousand signatures, but officials argue that information about the methods of work of security officers is still relevant in terms of sensitivity for national security.

Ivan Pavlov

The commission’s response was published on his Facebook page by a lawyer from “team 29” Ivan Pavlov. It says that the commission “does not consider it necessary” to cancel the conclusion on the extension of the classification of most archival documents until 2044. According to officials, this information still remains relevant, "since their distribution can damage the Russian Federation."

“This is a wonderful thesis, I think. The history textbooks will enter. And the proposal of the commission to appeal in the prescribed manner “attempts to use the conclusion to conceal information related to the repressive policy of the Soviet state,” you don’t find very unscrupulous sarcasm, ”Pavlov comments.

The commissions also indicated the fact that the conclusion does not contain references to materials regarding mass repressions requiring declassified in accordance with the Decree of the President of the Russian Federation of June 23, 1992.

“Miracles are rarely accomplished, but we hoped that since the petition scored 60 thousand signatures, the answer would not be so mean, but the commission will analyze the classified documents,” said Daria Sukhikh “ Gazeta.ru ”, lawyer of “teams 29”. In order to extend the term of classification of documents, the commission must be guided only by exceptional circumstances, so in the near future the association will challenge the decision of the commission in court.

In March 2014, the Interdepartmental Commission for the Protection of State Secrets extended the period of classifying documents from the archives of the Soviet state security bodies for another 30 years, until 2044. This decision applies to an impressive amount of documents containing information on intelligence and counterintelligence methods, operational-search activities, about scammers, employees of state-based bodies participating in special operations, events of 1937-38, etc. The list consists of 23 categories of information. Almost any document created between 1917 and 1991 can save the “secret” vulture.

Photo: rgantd.ru

On the air of the rain , Pavlov specified that we are talking about all the documents stored in the archive of the FSB - the successor of the Soviet security bodies. The 30-year period of classifying documents was established by the Law " On Gostaina " of 1993. Pavlov recalled that until 2013, the department and archives enjoyed the unspoken rule “The Law of Feedback has no return”, according to which the documents created before September 1993 were deprived of the deadline for classification.

In accordance with this rule, which have lost the relevance of GOSTaine will be open to society not earlier than 2023, and most of the Soviet materials will remain inaccessible to research. The law does not give a clear definition to this issue.

In 2013, the Constitutional Court recognized this practice unlawful after the complaint of the historian Nikita Petrov. Together with the lawyers of the “team 29” Petrov turned to the Constitutional Court after he was not allowed to familiarize himself with the three orders of the MGB of the USSR. The historian of the “Memorial” was required to conduct scientific research on the activities of the apparatus of the NKVD-MGB authorized in Germany in 1945-1953. Petrov asked the court to recognize the FSB refusals and declassify these documents.

As a result, the Constitutional Court published a decision according to which the 30-year period of classifying documents under the heading “Secret” is valid “both before and after” the entry into force of the Law “On Gostaine”. According to this law, a longer period of classification of documents is possible only in exceptional cases, and only by decision of the interagency commission for the protection of GOSTIANA, whose activities are personally led by Vladimir Putin. In all other cases, after the expiration of secrecy, the documents are transferred to the state archive, where they become available to everyone.

The team 29 insists on the exceptional importance of free access to information. Without the disclosure of the archives of special services, it is impossible to understand and evaluate the ready -made and proven mechanisms of political power and decision -making that acted to suppress dissent.