Temptation of arbitrariness

The Russian Ombudsman urged “not to go overboard with the fight against terrorism”

It is quite possible that in the near future the “main national monument to the victims of Bolshevik terror” and a museum dedicated to the history of Soviet totalitarianism will be installed on one of the Moscow squares. The idea of ​​installing such a monument was voiced yesterday by the Commissioner for Human Rights in the Russian Federation, Vladimir Lukin, who dedicated his press conference to the culmination of Stalin’s repressions - 1937. When the Ombudsman was asked why he chose these August days to remember the events of 70 years ago, Mr. Lukin replied that “if you wish, you can find a link to a specific date.” For example, on August 15, 1937, a secret NKVD operational order numbered 00486 was signed. From that day on, systematic repression fell not only on the “enemies of the people” themselves, but also on their wives and children, who fell into the category of the ChSIR - members of the families of traitors to the Motherland .

The lesson taught to Russia in the 30s of the last century, according to Vladimir Lukin, is still relevant today. The only thing more dangerous than terrorism is “massive state terrorism against one’s own people”—that was the main message of his speech. Of course, it is necessary to firmly counter terrorism, and “our state and society are doing the right thing by actively addressing this problem.” “But if we go too far with the fight against terrorism, we will face the temptation of state arbitrariness. And state arbitrariness is state terrorism,” the ombudsman concluded. This can only be counteracted by strengthening “both public control over the state and structural control within the state itself.”

On the other hand, Mr. Lukin, talking with a Vremya Novostey correspondent, noted that citizens are now least concerned about protecting their political rights. “About half of the complaints that come to us concern violations of social rights, and about a third are due to the arbitrariness of law enforcement agencies. There are many complaints about hazing in the army and housing problems. What is associated with the violation of personal political rights is 3-4%,” he claims.

So for now, “structural control over the activities of the state” has to be carried out by the state itself, represented by the Commissioner for Human Rights. An example of such an audit is the investigation by employees of Vladimir Lukin’s department into the situation with the placement in a psychiatric hospital of Larisa Arap, a journalist and activist of the Murmansk branch of the United Civil Front (UCF). It was after the hospital where Ms. Arap was forcibly hospitalized was visited by members of the expert council under the Ombudsman Lyubov Vinogradova and Yuri Sovenko that the head physician of the clinic, Evgeny Zenin, ordered the patient to be transferred to outpatient treatment.

Mikhail MOSHKIN