Actual data of the NKVD

The Interdepartmental Commission for the Protection of State Secrets refused to satisfy the request of 60 thousand people and declassify the archives of the Cheka-NKVD-KGB

Head of "Team 29" Ivan Pavlov

The petition about access to the archives of the Soviet special services was posted on the website of Change.org by the human rights activists “Team 29”-the receivers of the Freedom of Information Foundation that closed due to the status of “Inoage”. 60 thousand people signed for the abolition of the documents of the Soviet state security bodies until 2044.

“This information has been relevant at present, since their distribution can cause damage to the security of the Russian Federation, and require the extension of the terms of classification,” the interpretation commission for the protection of state secrets (MVC) said.

In 1992, a decree of Boris Yeltsin was published, according to which materials regarding repression and violations of human rights in Russia 1917-1991 should be declassified. However, in 1993 the law “On GOSTINE” was published, according to which the maximum term of the secrecy of documents is 30 years.

Until 2012, officials argued the reluctance to open archives that the law was adopted in 1993, and it has no return. That is, under its action, documents drawn up after the adoption of the law. And the previous ones “have no statute of limitations” - that is, most likely, they will never be presented to the public. The Constitutional Court in 2013 denied this opinion.

Then, in March 2014, the MVC adopted a conclusion that extended for another 30 years the term of classifying documents of the Soviet state security bodies of 1917-1991. In total, the list of 23 points of information categories that make it possible to extend the secrecy of almost any document. Thus, the “secret” vulture will stand on any papers regarding intelligence, counterintelligence, operational-search activities, as well as employees of state security agencies who took part in special operations, and persons who cooperate with departments on a confidential basis. If the document contains information about the methods of combating corruption or organized crime, on planned or actual costs for anti -terrorist activities, it will also not be declassified.

“This law states that in exceptional cases this period may be extended by the IMV,” said NT Ivan Pavlov, head of “team 29”. “This is an unprecedented decision - to classify all the documents in a lot.”

Human rights activists are sure that the decision of the IMC should not concern cases of mass terror, since the history of this period is interested in a large number of citizens of our country: many want to find out the truth about their repressed ancestors.

“Possible attempts to use the conclusion to conceal information related to the repressive policy of the Soviet state can be appealed in the prescribed manner,” follows from the final proposal to human rights activists.

“Lawyers will always find a way to solve the situation,” Pavlov notes. -Another question is whether the state is ready for a solution, or it will still look for tricks and ridiculous approaches so as not to solve this problem. We can appeal to the Moscow City Court on behalf of a citizen or organization in order to challenge the decision of the MVK. Now we are negotiating with candidates for the role of the applicant in this case. ”

Photo: Ruslan Shamukov / TASS