"Traitor of the Motherland family members" (Russian: ЧСИР: члены семьи изменника Родины, lit. 'members of the family of a traitor of the Motherland') was a term in Article 58 of the Criminal Code of RSFSR (as amended from the original wording of 1927). The amended Article dealt with the criminal prosecution of wives and children (kin punishment) of all people who were arrested and convicted as "traitors of the Motherland" in the Soviet Union during Stalinist purges of the 1930s and later. The practice of automatically convicting wives and children was a base element of the Great Purge.[citation needed] It introduced a new category of inmates: the family members of a person who was recognized as a "Traitor of Motherland"; some Soviet labor camps were designated[by whom?] specifically to this category.
As an element of the rollback of the Great Purge, on October 17, 1938, the later NKVD Order No. 00689, signed by Lavrenty Beria, said not to arrest wives automatically, together with their husbands, but only after consideration by a single NKVD officer. Only wives that were deemed "politically untrustworthy or socially dangerous" or who knew about the "counter-revolutionary activity" of their husbands were to be arrested.
In 1940 a Politburo decree "On prosecution of traitors to the Motherland and their family members" and some other documents specified exile to the Far North of the family members of "traitors of the Motherland" who fled across the border. It primarily concerned the population of the territories newly acquired by the Soviet Union during the early years of World War II: the Baltic States, Western Belarus and Western Ukraine taken from Poland, and Northern Bukovina taken from Romania.
On June 24, 1942 the State Defense Committee issued top secret resolution No. 1926SS "On the Family Members of Traitors of the Motherland" that was signed by Stalin and restored some of the original wording.[4]
Wives were subject to imprisonment into labor camps for terms of "at least 5–8 years".
"Socially dangerous" children were to be placed in labor camps, corrective labor colonies, or special-regimen orphanages (see also: Orphans in the Soviet Union). The remaining orphaned children were to be placed in ordinary orphanages or with non-convicted relatives (if the latter wished). Personnel of the orphanages to house the children of the convicted were to be purged and refitted with politically reliable staff to properly supervise the "correction" of the children.[5][6]
Article 5 of the Order stated wives with breast-feeding children, those who were ill, or with ill children were not to be arrested. Article 17 further specified that they were to be placed to labor camps later: breast-feeders after the verdict, those with illness after the recovery.
Article 16 of the Order instructed to place the wives of the "traitors to the Motherland" into the Special Department of Temlag. Article 18 specified various kinds of facilities to imprison "socially-dangerous" children.
^(full name: Operational Order of People's Commissar of Internal Affairs of the USSR by August 15, 1937 # 00486)
^. nnm.me. Archived from the original on 2015-07-25. Retrieved 2015-07-24.
^"Article 58, Criminal Code of the RSFSR (1934)". www.cyberussr.com. Retrieved 2015-07-24.
^"О членах семей изменников родине". Журнал "Коммерсантъ Власть". No. 24. p. 52. Retrieved 2015-07-24.
^Corinna Kuhr, Children of ‘Enemies of the People’ as Victims of the Great Purges, Cahiers Du Monde Russe 39 (1998): 210.
^Catriona Kelly, Children's World: Growing Up in Russia, 1890–1991, New Haven: Yale UP, 2007, 238.
External links
Russian Wikisource has original text related to this article: Full text for NKVD Order № 00486 in Russian language
Russian Wikisource has original text related to this article: Full text for NKVD Order № 00689 in Russian language
January 29, 2023
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This article needs additional citations for verification Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources Unsourced material may be challenged and removed Find sources Family members of traitors to the Motherland news newspapers books scholar JSTOR March 2013 Learn how and when to remove this template message Traitor of the Motherland family members Russian ChSIR chleny semi izmennika Rodiny lit members of the family of a traitor of the Motherland was a term in Article 58 of the Criminal Code of RSFSR as amended from the original wording of 1927 The amended Article dealt with the criminal prosecution of wives and children kin punishment of all people who were arrested and convicted as traitors of the Motherland in the Soviet Union during Stalinist purges of the 1930s and later The practice of automatically convicting wives and children was a base element of the Great Purge citation needed It introduced a new category of inmates the family members of a person who was recognized as a Traitor of Motherland some Soviet labor camps were designated by whom specifically to this category Contents 1 History 2 Order No 00486 3 See also 4 References 5 External linksHistory EditThe NKVD Order No 00486 1 instructed about repression of wives and children of enemies of the people convicted to execution or imprisonment It was dated August 15 1937 and signed by Nikolai Yezhov acting both as chief of NKVD and General Commissar of State Security chief of GUGB The order implemented a resolution by Politburo 2 The corresponding parts of Article 58 RSFSR Penal Code were modified accordingly 3 As an element of the rollback of the Great Purge on October 17 1938 the later NKVD Order No 00689 signed by Lavrenty Beria said not to arrest wives automatically together with their husbands but only after consideration by a single NKVD officer Only wives that were deemed politically untrustworthy or socially dangerous or who knew about the counter revolutionary activity of their husbands were to be arrested In 1940 a Politburo decree On prosecution of traitors to the Motherland and their family members and some other documents specified exile to the Far North of the family members of traitors of the Motherland who fled across the border It primarily concerned the population of the territories newly acquired by the Soviet Union during the early years of World War II the Baltic States Western Belarus and Western Ukraine taken from Poland and Northern Bukovina taken from Romania On June 24 1942 the State Defense Committee issued top secret resolution No 1926SS On the Family Members of Traitors of the Motherland that was signed by Stalin and restored some of the original wording 4 Order No 00486 EditAll cases were to be considered by the Special Council of the NKVD Wives were subject to imprisonment into labor camps for terms of at least 5 8 years Socially dangerous children were to be placed in labor camps corrective labor colonies or special regimen orphanages see also Orphans in the Soviet Union The remaining orphaned children were to be placed in ordinary orphanages or with non convicted relatives if the latter wished Personnel of the orphanages to house the children of the convicted were to be purged and refitted with politically reliable staff to properly supervise the correction of the children 5 6 Article 5 of the Order stated wives with breast feeding children those who were ill or with ill children were not to be arrested Article 17 further specified that they were to be placed to labor camps later breast feeders after the verdict those with illness after the recovery Article 16 of the Order instructed to place the wives of the traitors to the Motherland into the Special Department of Temlag Article 18 specified various kinds of facilities to imprison socially dangerous children During the Great Purge the orphanages became overcrowded and the country was flooded with runaway orphans greatly increasing juvenile delinquency as had occurred during the Russian Civil War See also EditCollective punishment Orphans in the Soviet Union Children of enemies of the people 1937 1945References Edit full name Operational Order of People s Commissar of Internal Affairs of the USSR by August 15 1937 00486 Chleny semej repressirovannyh ChSIR NoNaMe nnm me Archived from the original on 2015 07 25 Retrieved 2015 07 24 Article 58 Criminal Code of the RSFSR 1934 www cyberussr com Retrieved 2015 07 24 O chlenah semej izmennikov rodine Zhurnal Kommersant Vlast No 24 p 52 Retrieved 2015 07 24 Corinna Kuhr Children of Enemies of the People as Victims of the Great Purges Cahiers Du Monde Russe 39 1998 210 Catriona Kelly Children s World Growing Up in Russia 1890 1991 New Haven Yale UP 2007 238 External links Edit Russian Wikisource has original text related to this article Full text for NKVD Order 00486 in Russian language Russian Wikisource has original text related to this article Full text for NKVD Order 00689 in Russian language Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Family members of traitors to the Motherland amp oldid 1101658938, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
