Biographies Characteristics Analysis

Inhuman methods of interrogation in the NKVD stories. Torture from Stalin

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The story contains scenes of torture, violence, sex. If this offends your tender soul - do not read, but go to x ... from here!

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The plot takes place during the Great Patriotic War. A partisan detachment operates on the territory occupied by the Nazis. The Nazis know that there are many women among the partisans, but how to figure them out. Finally, they managed to catch the girl Katya when she was trying to draw a diagram of the location of German firing points ...

The captive girl was led into a small room at the school, where the Gestapo department was now located. A young officer interrogated Katya. In addition to him, there were several policemen and two vulgar-looking women in the room. Katya knew them, they served the Germans. I just didn't quite know how.

The officer instructed the guards holding the girl to let her go, which they did. He gestured for her to sit down. The girl sat down. The officer ordered one of the girls to bring tea. But Kate refused. The officer took a sip, then lit a cigarette. He offered Katya, but she refused. The officer started the conversation, and he spoke good Russian.

What is your name?

Katerina.

I know that you were engaged in intelligence in favor of the communists. It's true?

But you are so young, so beautiful. You probably fell into their service by accident?

Not! I am a Komsomol member and I want to become a communist, like my father, Hero of the Soviet Union, who died at the front.

I regret being so young beautiful girl fell for the bait of the red-assed. At one time, my father served in the Russian army in the first world war. He commanded a company. He has many glorious victories and awards to his credit. But when the communists came to power, he was accused of being an enemy of the people for all his services to his homeland and shot. Starvation awaited my mother and me, as children of enemies of the people, but one of the Germans (who was in captivity and whom his father did not allow to be shot) helped us escape to Germany and even enter the service. I always wanted to be a hero like my father. And now I have come to save my homeland from the communists.

You are a fascist bitch, an invader, a murderer of innocent people...

We never kill innocent people. On the contrary, we return to them what the red-assed have taken from them. Yes, we recently hanged two women who set fire to houses where our soldiers temporarily settled. But the soldiers managed to run out, and the owners lost the last thing that the war had not taken away from them.

They fought against...

Your people!

Not true!

Okay, let's say we're invaders. You are now required to answer a few questions. After that, we will determine the punishment for you.

I will not answer your questions!

Okay, then name with whom you are organizing terrorist attacks against German soldiers.

Not true. We have been watching you.

Then why should I answer?

So that the innocent don't get hurt.

I won't name anyone...

Then I will invite the boys to untie your stubborn tongue.

You won't get anything!

And we'll see this. So far, there has not been a single case out of 15 and so that nothing has come of it ... Let's get to work, boys!

According to the note of the Commission of the Presidium of the Central Committee of the CPSU to the Presidium of the Central Committee of the CPSU on the results of the work to investigate the causes Stalinist repressions(Commission N.M.Shvernik), those arrested who tried to prove their innocence and did not give the required testimony, as a rule, were subjected to painful torture and torture. The so-called "racks", "conveyor interrogations", imprisonment in a punishment cell, detention in specially equipped damp, cold or very stuffy rooms, deprivation of sleep, food, water, beatings and other kinds of torture. The note, among other things, cites an excerpt from a letter from the deputy commander of the Trans-Baikal Military District, Commander Lisovsky:

They beat them cruelly, with malice. Ten days did not give a minute of sleep, without stopping the torture. After that, they sent me to a punishment cell... For 7-8 hours they kept me on my knees with my hands up or bent my head under the table, and I also stood in this position for 7-8 hours. The skin on my knees was all peeled off, and I stood on live meat. These tortures were accompanied by blows to the head and back.

One of the first five Soviet marshals, the first holder of the honorary military orders of the Red Banner and the Red Star, Vasily Konstantinovich Blucher, died of cruel torture(according to the conclusion of the forensic expert, death occurred from blockage of the pulmonary artery by a thrombus formed in the veins of the pelvis; an eye was almost knocked out) in the Lefortovo prison of the NKVD on November 9, 1938. His body was immediately burned in the crematorium. Only 4 months later - on March 10, 1939 - the courts sentenced the long-dead marshal to highest measure punishment for "espionage in favor of Japan, participation in the anti-Soviet organization of the right and in a military conspiracy."

Future Marshal Konstantin Rokossovsky since August 17, 1937. until March 22, 1940, he was kept in the internal prison of the UGB under the NKVD for Leningrad region on Shpalernaya street. The head of the Leningrad NKVD Zakovsky repeatedly took a personal part in the torture of Rokossovsky. Rokossovsky had several front teeth knocked out, three ribs were broken, and his toes were beaten with a hammer. He was accused of having connections with Polish and Japanese intelligence at the same time, but Rokossovsky did not give false testimony either to himself or to others. According to Colonel of Justice Klimin F.A., who was among the three judges of the Military Collegium of the USSR Armed Forces who tried the Rokossovsky case, a trial was to take place in March 1939, but all the witnesses who testified were already dead by the time of the trial. The consideration of the case was postponed for further investigation, in the fall of 1939 a second meeting was held, which also postponed the sentencing. On March 22, 1940, Rokossovsky was released due to the termination of the case, at the request of S.K. Timoshenko (the former commander of Rokossovsky) to I.V. Stalin, and rehabilitated.

Commander A.Ya.Lapin (Lapinsh), awarded three orders of the Red Banner, September 21, 1938. committed suicide in a prison cell. A note was found in his belongings: “I was tired of living, they beat me badly, so I gave false testimony and slandered other people. I'm not guilty of anything."

After the death of Stalin and Beria, the country was certain work to find out the details of the Stalinist repressions. As part of this work, many investigators and prosecutors were interrogated. Here is what Lev Shvartsman, who participated in the investigations into the cases of high-ranking military leaders, testified during interrogation:

Physical methods of influence were applied to Meretskov at first high officials Merkulov and Vlodzimirsky, and then I, with investigators Zimenkov and Sorokin. He was beaten with rubber sticks. Before his arrest, Meretskov had testimonies from more than 40 witnesses that he was a participant in a military conspiracy.

The commander of the Red Army Air Force, commander of the 2nd rank Loktionov Alexander Dmitrievich is one of the few who withstood prolonged sophisticated torture and did not give incriminating evidence against other people. His courage amazed even the worldly-wise NKVD investigators. Shot in the village of Barbysh near Kuibyshev in 1941.

From the testimony of the former NKVD investigator Semenov:

I personally saw how brutally they beat Meretskov and Loktionov during the investigation. They not only groaned, but simply roared in pain ... They acted especially brutally with Stern. There was no place left on it. At each interrogation, he lost consciousness several times ... Loktionov was severely beaten, covered in blood, his appearance also affected Meretskov, who denounced him. Loktionov refused, and Vlodzimersky, Shvartsman and Rhodes continued to beat him in turn and together in front of Meretskov, who urged Loktionov to sign everything they wanted from him. Loktionov roared in pain, rolled on the floor, but did not agree ...

From the interrogation of the former NKVD investigator Bolkhovitin:

At the direction of Wlodzimersky in early July 1941. a confrontation was held between Smushkevich and Rychagov (heads of the Red Army Air Force in 1937-1938 - ed.). Before the confrontation, Vlodzimersky sent the head of the 1st department of the investigative unit Zimenkov and his deputy Nikitin to my office. Nikitin, in order to "prepare" Rychagov for a confrontation, brutally beat him. After that, they brought Smushkevich to my office, judging by his appearance, he was obviously beaten more than once. At the confrontation, he gave vague testimony about Rychagov's belonging to a military conspiracy.

The head of the UGB department of the NKVD of the BSSR, Sotnikov, wrote in his explanation:

From about September 1937, all those arrested during interrogations were beaten ... There was a competition among the investigators who would "split" the most. This attitude came from Berman (former People's Commissar of Internal Affairs of Belarus), who at one of the meetings of the investigators of the People's Commissariat said: "Leningrad and Ukraine give one album each day for a" deuce ", and we must do this, and for this each investigator must give at least one revelations per day." Espionage cases were considered not by "troikas", but by "two", consisting of Yezhov and Vyshinsky, which considered them on the basis of the so-called albums - lists of the accused with their surnames, first names, patronymics and other installation data, summary of the accusation and proposals of the investigation on the verdict. Beating the detainees, torture, reaching the point of sadism, became the main methods of interrogation. It was considered shameful if the investigator did not have a single confession a day. In the people's commissariat there was a continuous groan and scream, which could be heard a block away from the people's commissariat. This is where the Investigation Department excels."

After the arrest of People's Commissar Yezhov, a campaign was launched to clean up and check the files of the NKVD. During this campaign, some of the surviving detainees managed to get out. One of the released - the former commander of the division of the 41st artillery regiment, captain D.N. Neshin - several times applied to the people's commissariat of defense, declaring physical abuse of him, but there he was advised to "keep quiet". Then he turned to Mekhlis, who sent copies of the letter to Voroshilov, Stalin and Beria. Neshin wrote:

"... What did I see with my own eyes? They beat everyone without exception, everyone without exception stood at attention ... Some soon died. The Red Army soldier of 122 SP Tereshchenko died soon, he was beaten hard against the wall with his back ... In the investigator's office, the commandant of the prison cellar Glebov he brought a shepherd dog - to set on the arrested, stubbornly resisting the investigation ... It was impossible to sleep in the basement, from about 2 a.m. the beatings of those arrested during interrogations began, terrible screams and calls for help. Most often they shouted: "Stalin, intercede!"

Source: archive of the VKVS RF, D.26484, L.1.

The former head of the 3rd department of the 3rd department of the NKVD of the Moscow Region, lieutenant of state security A.O. sentenced to 15 years in prison. In 1956, after serving his sentence, in his numerous statements to the authorities, he began to insist on his rehabilitation. In one of his statements, he writes that today's military prosecutors "... show a deep misunderstanding of the situation of fear and trembling that prevailed in 1937-1938 in the NKVD, prosecutor's office and courts ... If in 1937-1938 there were distortions in my work in the investigation and arrests, then they are the result of the then introduced into the apparatus physical methods investigations directly coming from People's Commissar Yezhov and the leader of Stalin's party. I, an ordinary security officer, a communist on official and party duty, could not express doubts, criticize or not follow these instructions, and their implementation led to illegal arrests and repressions ... These physical methods of investigation were well known to the USSR prosecutor Vyshinsky, chairman Military Collegium of the Supreme Court to Ulrich, which were presented to us as protecting the interests of the party in anticipation of the war ... "

According to the recollections of former prisoners of the remand prison known as Sukhanovka or Special Object No. 110, 52 types of torture were used there. In 1938, the prison was equipped in the premises of the monastery of St. Catherine in the Moscow region. A detailed list of the "methods" that were used to obtain the evidence needed by the authorities was compiled in the book "Sukhanovskaya Prison. Special object 110 "historian, researcher of the Gulag Lidia Golovkova.

by the most simple method, which was used in a torture prison, there were beatings of prisoners, the researcher writes. They could beat people for days without a break, in shifts - the investigators changed each other, worked tirelessly. Another fairly common method of obtaining evidence at that time was the insomnia test: a prisoner could be deprived of sleep for 10 to 20 days for a long time.

There were in the arsenal of executioners and more sophisticated means. During the interrogation, the victim was put on the leg of a stool in such a way that with any movement of the person under investigation, it entered the rectum. Another method of torture was the "swallow" - the prisoners were tied with a long towel to the head and legs through the back. It is impossible to endure this, but people were kept in such a state for hours. [S-BLOCK]

The ingenuity of sadistic investigators can be compared with the sophisticated fantasy of movie maniacs. Pins were stuck under people's nails, fingers were banged with doors. The victims of terror were put in the so-called "salotopki" - punishment cells, where they maintained a high temperature. Tortured prisoners and in barrels of cold water. The interrogator could fill a decanter with his own urine and force the victim to drink.

There is practically no evidence that anyone withstood inhuman torment. Experienced soldiers were broken in prisons. General Sidyakin went mad after the torture: Golovkova writes that he began to howl and bark like a dog. Many were sent for compulsory treatment after interrogation. psychiatric hospitals. According to the documents, one case is known when a prisoner survived in a special institution and withstood torture. Mikhail Kedrov, a former Chekist who complained about organ abuse, went through a torture prison without confessing to the charges. This helped him in court - he was acquitted. True, he did not succeed in getting away from Stalin's executioners: after the beginning of the Great patriotic war he was shot without reopening the investigation on the orders of Lavrenty Beria.

Killer machines

The Commissar of State Security often personally taunted the victims. Before executions of prisoners, he ordered his henchmen to beat them. Before leaving for the next world, the prisoner had to “fill his face”, apparently this gave the main Stalinist executioner some special pleasure. Lavrenty Beria appeared personally at the special facility, in prison he had his own office, from which a personal elevator descended into the torture chambers.

There are also examples when the Nazi executioners used the experience of their Soviet "colleagues". The NKVD came up with special paddy wagons, which were real killing machines. The exhaust pipe in them was directed inside, the prisoners died during transportation, and the bodies of the dead were immediately taken to the crematorium. This method was used by the Nazis in concentration camps.

According to the recollections of former prisoners of the remand prison known as Sukhanovka or Special Object No. 110, 52 types of torture were used there. In 1938, the prison was equipped in the premises of the monastery of St. Catherine in the Moscow region. A detailed list of the "methods" that were used to obtain the evidence needed by the authorities was compiled in the book "Sukhanovskaya Prison. Special object 110, historian, Gulag researcher Lidiya Golovkova.

Torture by the NKVD

The simplest method used in the torture prison was beating the prisoners, the researcher writes. They could beat people for days without a break, in shifts - the investigators changed each other, worked tirelessly. Another fairly common method of obtaining testimony at that time was the insomnia test: a prisoner could be deprived of sleep for 10-20 days for a long time.

There were in the arsenal of executioners and more sophisticated means. During the interrogation, the victim was put on the leg of a stool in such a way that with any movement of the person under investigation, it entered the rectum. Another method of torture was the "swallow" - the prisoners were tied with a long towel to the head and legs through the back. It is impossible to endure this, but people were kept in such a state for hours.

The ingenuity of sadistic investigators can be compared with the sophisticated fantasy of movie maniacs. Pins were stuck under people's nails, fingers were banged with doors. The victims of terror were put in the so-called "salotopki" - punishment cells, where they maintained a high temperature. Prisoners were also tortured in barrels of cold water. The interrogator could fill a decanter with his own urine and force the victim to drink.

There is practically no evidence that anyone withstood inhuman torment. Experienced soldiers were broken in prisons. General Sidyakin went mad after the torture: Golovkova writes that he began to howl and bark like a dog. After interrogation, many were sent for compulsory treatment in psychiatric hospitals. According to the documents, one case is known when a prisoner survived in a special institution and withstood torture. Mikhail Kedrov, a former Chekist who complained about abuses in the organs, went through a torture prison without confessing to the charges. This helped him in court - he was acquitted. True, he failed to get away from the Stalinist executioners: after the start of the Great Patriotic War, he was shot without resuming the investigation on the orders of Lavrenty Beria.

Killer machines

The Commissar of State Security often personally taunted the victims. Before executions of prisoners, he ordered his henchmen to beat them. Before leaving for the next world, the prisoner had to “fill his face”, apparently this gave the main Stalinist executioner some special pleasure. Lavrenty Beria appeared personally at the special facility, in prison he had his own office, from which a personal elevator descended into the torture chambers.

There are also examples when the Nazi executioners used the experience of their Soviet "colleagues". The NKVD came up with special paddy wagons, which were real killing machines. The exhaust pipe in them was directed inside, the prisoners died during transportation, and the bodies of the dead were immediately taken to the crematorium. This method was used by the Nazis in concentration camps.

So that we remember and do not forget about crimes against humanity

1. Sheet ў of the Central Committee of the CP (b) B “Hell of 3000 piece spiens of embroidered paralkai of Gomelsk ablanoga NKUS, yakiya znakhodzyatstsa ў Gomel administrative turma: workers, Kalgasniks, kamunists and non-party”

Do not fall 2nd of March 1938

SECRET

Central Committee of the CP(b)B

Minsk

STATEMENT

Dear Secretary of the Central Committee, comrade PONOMAREV, pay attention to the arbitrariness of the Trotskyists from Gom. region NKVD. There is no place to describe to you all the horrors of torture, often ending in death, but we ask you to come with Natalevich and the prosecutor and go to all the Gom casemates. prisons and all the methods of the Inquisition created by Gom will be opened to you. NKVD over workers, Kalgasniks, communists and non-party people.

During the year that we have been in prison, none of the representatives of the authorities has been, there is no one to complain to, papers for applications are not given.

In Rechitsa, during interrogation, employees of special persons were killed. otd. 37 p. watchmaker Kvint, teacher Krukovsky and 4 other people in Gomel. Come and call for interrogation Karasik, Stankevich, Demet, Upit, who cut the veins and Karga and others, and they will tell you how the damned Trotskyists-sadists made them enemies-spies. We hope that the voice of the workers from the prison will be heard, and we will see you, and you will liquidate Gom. spy factory.

For the beginning Special Sector Pres. Supreme Soviet of the BSSR Sadovskaya

2. Anonymous list of Sakratar of the Central Committee of the CP (b) B Grekavai Ab zbiennyah taken from the Minsk last turme of the NKUS

Do not fall 31 snow 1938

As a Soviet citizen, I consider it my duty to inform you about what I saw and heard in the Minsk NKVD prison under investigation.

Takushevich Konstantin Nikolaevich, was beaten during interrogations, and was tortured, needles were put under his nails, his nails were torn off, during torture he received more than 50 wounds, he was in the hospital for 49 days, as a result of torture, he underwent surgery in his shoulder. He told the investigator that he was writing a lie, to which the investigator told him, write a lie, I don't care.

Anton Demidenko was beaten during interrogations when he told the investigator that “if I had not been a volunteer in the Red Army and had not been a Chekist, I would probably not have been a spy either.” To this, the investigator replied: "Who asked you to volunteer for the Red Army."

Kabernik was beaten during interrogations when he told the investigator: “How do you accuse me of espionage, because I was a partisan.” To this the investigator replied: “Oh, you are a Polish muzzle, and who called you to join the partisans.”

Yanovsky Vladimir Ivanovich, beaten and interrogated continuously for 15 days. He was forced to drag in many innocent people. To call the prosecutor was forced to go on a hunger strike.

Ravnovsky Miron Maksimovich, they put on a straitjacket and a gas mask and beat him, sat him on the ribs of a chair, inserted the leg of a chair into the anus. The investigator offered him to write about some kind of espionage, either Polish or Japanese.

Razumovskaya Anna Aronovna, during interrogations, the Jewish muzzle was scolded.

Laimon Karl Ivanovich was beaten during interrogations and forced to write lies. To call the prosecutor, he was forced to go on a hunger strike, but he did not get the prosecutor, he went on hunger strike for 6 days.

Rozanova Lyusya was tortured, put on the so-called. a fascist chair, this is a special chair on which a person rests on the bends of his knees, and the whole torso hangs upside down, they beat him until blood came out of his throat.

There are thousands of such examples.

According to the stories of those arrested in the special corps, they came to beat the arrested in the cell, and forced some of the arrested to beat other arrested, forced the entire cell to recover on the bucket, and one was covered with a blanket over the bucket and forced to breathe for several hours.

Sitting in the cell, we repeatedly heard the cry of the investigator: “Hands at the seams, get down to business,” and a terrible battle began, we heard a whip, we counted 70 blows, it was scary to believe that a living person was going through this. For beating, they used rubber hoses, a tourniquet specially twisted from electrical wires, sticks, and for torture there were special stools with a stake on which they sat people and tore the crotch between the anus and the genitals, there was an electric chair on which they sat people. The men were beaten on the genitals. They burned the body with a cigarette match and a candle.

They were beaten in the “brigade way”, when a brigade of 8-6 people ran into one arrested person, beat him until he lost consciousness, dragged him out into the corridor and started beating again. Slukin, an NKVD worker, was convicted for this.

There are many such examples, it is impossible to list them all. Husbands suffer, wives suffer, and children suffer. So many innocent victims. Here is an example:

Ravkovskaya Maria Borisovna spent more than a year in prison, and was released after the case was dismissed. Having returned to his place of residence, he still cannot find his son, all the property was illegally confiscated and sold. She left the prison with an open case of tuberculosis. She came out completely naked, without a corner, without shelter.

3 . Application M.I. Charnushevich ў Central Committee of the Communist Party (b) B ab zdzekakh padchas of the investigation

Statement

From a member of the CP (b) B, party card No. 2827390, party experience since 1918,

Chernushevich Mitrofan Ivanovich,

living in Minsk, Belorusskaya st., 12, apt. 6.

29 sakavik 1939

I in 1937, in July m-tse, ex. People's Commissar NKVD Berman was arrested and after the arrest was expelled from the party as an enemy of the people. I was in custody for 14 months, released in September 1938, in November of last year reinstated in the rank of party member. About the wrong methods of conducting an investigation that were applied to me, I gave a written testimony to the prosecutor of the NKVD Troops of the border and internal guards of the BSSR, I also testified to Markov, Special Commissioner of the NKVD of the BSSR. At the suggestion of Comrade Voloshin I am writing to the Central Committee of the CP(b)B. I was inhumanly beaten, beaten with everything: sticks, hangers, rulers, paperweights, chairs, keys, boots, boots, fists; doused with cold water and taken out to 20 degrees below zero; they put me on a stake, standing on my knees, put me on the leg of a chair (they turned the chair over), and they themselves put pressure on my shoulders, beat me on my legs - on my knees, beat me especially painfully on the head. He was deprived of everything - books, programs. They beat him until April 16, 1938 (already after the February plenum of the Central Committee of the All-Union Communist Party of Bolsheviks).

I was beaten by Special Representative Perevozchikov, Commissioner Pozdnyakov, and another representative from the Office of the Special Commissioner - I forgot his last name, but wrote about him in his testimony to the prosecutor. They beat me for five days in a row, not allowing me to sleep for a single minute and refusing food. They beat me, not letting me sit for a single minute, all the time I either stood or sat on a stake (sharp). He stood with outstretched arms, did gymnastics until his eyes darkened and fainted; and when he fell, they beat him with his heels, poured water on him, and again forced him to do gymnastics or keep his hands up and his knees half-bent. So for five days continuously - they: Pozdnyakov, Kvitkevich and Kiselev were on duty for 8 hours, and they kept me alone for five days without food, without sleep.

I can't remember everything that happened - it was a nightmare. The most outrageous fact, which I have already stated to both the prosecutor and the People's Commissar of the NKVD and the Special Commissioner, is when I was beaten in front of a portrait of Stalin, and the commissioner Pozdnyakov sat me astride the back of a chair or on a stake and forced me to vote, ordering: “Vote, fallen animal, vote for Stalin." I protested at the same time that only a party member and not a Chekist could say this. Later, when I was released and when I told the Head of the 4th Department Yermolaev about this and other things - beatings, etc., he categorically ordered me to be silent, and these Perevozchikov, Pozdnyakov and Kiselev, who had beaten me, summoned me and threatened that if I “spread provocation”, it will be even worse. After all, we didn’t beat you,” they said. The second authorized surname is Kiselev.

M. Chernushevich

4. Statement of the past by the instructor of the Central Committee Gibkhin I.E. in the name of the Sakratar of the Central Committee of the Communist Party (b) of Belarus Panamarenka

Don't be late 16 beauty 1939

I consider it my party duty to report the following: Being arrested and being interrogated by the investigators of the NKVD apparatus, I was subjected to mockery, beatings and all kinds of torture. Ivanov was my first investigator, who hit me with a door key on my head and body, trying to break my rib or collarbone, forced me to do squats for several days with breaks for 2-3 hours a day. In February 1938, the same Ivanov, together with a brigade of 6-8 people, beat me until I lost consciousness, put me on a sharp peg on the very anus for 3.5 hours, which damaged my insides of the body, raised me to the ceiling and threw on the floor, stuffed their mouths with paper so that it was impossible to scream. When he failed to force me to sign any lie, he handed me over to investigators Mishin and Demin in March 1938, who three of them mocked in shifts for 6 days, putting me on a conveyor belt, where I stood on my feet for 6 days without sleep , without food. On the 6th day, when I began to lose my mind, my legs were swollen from edema, I was forced to sign that I was an enemy of the people. During these 6 days, I was subjected to all sorts of bullying by Mishin, Lis, they tore me, pulled my hair on the floor, cigarette fire burned my hair, face, lips, eyebrows, knocked my legs, not giving me the opportunity to cope with natural needs.

Having no positive results, they handed me over to investigator Raikhlin, who continued the same methods, in addition to beating me in the joints of my hands, he repeatedly kicked me with his boot in the genitals, spat in my mouth, forcing me to stand on my feet for whole days and punched me in the chest, sides . In August 1938, in the office of the beginning. 1st department, room No. 163, at Aleshkovich's at 2 o'clock in the morning, Raikhlin introduced me to an imaginary prosecutor who, after my refusal to write lies, along with Raikhlin and Aleshkevich, strangled and beat me, on the same night Raikhlin warned me that he had the order of the authorities to put me in a punishment cell for 2 months because I do not write what they want (I read the order myself), after the punishment cell they will shoot me. In general, the threat of execution does not come out of Raikhlin’s mouth, that very night they took me in a closed car, where I don’t know, but Raikhlin warned that I was going to Komarovka to be shot. I saw lies and provocation in all his actions. In addition to them, I know that investigators Shapovalov, Goremykin, Krasnov beat Tsemesman, who has now been released.

I.E. Gibhin


5 . Skarga U.S.

1939

To the Prosecutor for Special Cases of the BSSR

Prisoner of the Gorshor camp of the NKVD of the USSR

Lukansky Vladimir Sergeevich

A complaint

I ask, in the manner of prosecutorial supervision, to cancel the verdict against me by a special troika on charges of espionage, since the case was conducted with the most flagrant violation of revolutionary legality and the fundamental principles of the Constitution, and to appoint a new reinvestigation, which would take place in normal conditions dictated by Soviet laws.

January 12, 1938, I worked as a teacher, was arrested by the district NKVD of the mountains. Surazh, without committing any crime, on the slanderous denunciation of my colleague Temryuk, who wanted to eliminate my competitor for the post of school director, and other persons who settled personal scores with me (Temryuk threatened to “make me thin” publicly at a teacher conference). Without charging me, I was sent to Minsk to the NKVD; there, about a month later, I was summoned for interrogation.

The investigator who interrogated me first (on my request to give his last name, answered with a rude curse), to my question: “Why I was arrested without charge, began to prove to me that if I was arrested, it means that I am a criminal, that no one will not believe that I am not guilty, but believe those who wrote to me and are at large. Therefore, if I want to stay alive, if I do not want to turn into a chop and a cripple, then I must confess.

Since I had no idea about any crimes, but the investigator, after asking me about who I worked with and where, then began to assure me that I was carrying out counter-revolutionary work, adjoining the Trotskyists. When, horrified by this, I began to prove my case, the investigator called by phone, and two persons appeared in the office and started beating me until I agreed to give such testimony as the investigator demanded. This time I was not offered to sign the protocol, and after a certain period of time I was called by the investigator Alekseev, who, using the methods of torture and beatings, forced me to sign the protocol, in which all my library and teaching activities, which I told the investigator about hoping to prove my innocence, presented as wrecking in the spirit of Trotskyism. After that I was transferred to Vitebsk. Based on the fact that as a child I lived (until 1915) in the village of Lyakhovichi, located on the territory of present-day Poland, I was ordered to plead guilty to spying for her, and to refuse what was shown in Minsk as absurd . When I began to assure that I was innocent of neither one nor the other, the investigator Orekh tortured me to sign the interrogation protocol he had composed, and on the basis of it he dictated my personal confession. Then investigator Korshikov changed the wording of the protocol and offered to sign it, threatening otherwise to force him to do so. Not wanting to subject myself to further torture, I was forced to do so. At the end of May, a new investigator was summoned to confirm the testimony given by me in Vitebsk and the denial of Minsky. When I began to deny the veracity of both of them, another investigator who entered the office began to beat me on the neck with the edge of his hand, and the investigator to whom I was summoned threatened to freeze me in the punishment cell. Convinced during the interrogations that any resistance is useless, and now, seeing the same methods, I fulfilled the requirements of the investigator. And when, in August, I was also summoned for the same purpose, exhausted by my long time in prison, exhausted in spirit, I already signed everything that the investigator had written without any objection. Although later I was forced to sign that I was familiar with the materials of the investigation, but under the guise of them they showed only protocols. All of the above shows that the investigation in my case could not find out the truth under such conditions and gives the right to ask for a reinvestigation.

Gor shor lag NKVD

6. Statement of the byloga of the head of the NKUS month of service K.I. Lyman-Sapieta in the name of the Sakratar of the Central Committee of the CP(b)B Panamarenka

3 beauties 1939

On May 7, 1938, by order of the then People's Commissar of Internal Affairs of the BSSR Berman, I was sent to prison, and I was interrogated by his trusted investigator, Investigator Zeitlin, demanding a confession that I was a Latvian spy. When I began to prove the absurdity of such an accusation, both Zeitlin and his assistants began to mock me with unheard-of insults. During 3 days of almost continuous interrogation, I begged them to double-check if they had any reason to accuse me of espionage and my innocence would be proven, and for such an acceptable “impudence” on my part, I was subjected, in addition to an almost uninterrupted stand, to physical impact with a fist, moreover, like Zeitlin, who admitted the latter, and also came to the interrogation room several times. deputy early 3rd Department of the NKVD of the BSSR Seryshev, they told me that “having recently testified” that I was a spy, I would not leave the investigation room, “we will remove the skin, break the ribs and get espionage from you”, and at the end of the third and beginning of the fourth day Seryshev department ordered Zeitlin to “interrogate me” according to all the rules, ”pointing, or rather drawing my attention to the groans, screams and bitches reaching us from other investigators’ offices and saying:“ This is how it will be with you, ”and after this order Seryshev - Zeitlin, in his presence, with one of his assistants, began to blow into my ears.

Being in such a nightmarish situation, which I did not allow in the Soviet country, under the pressure of physical and moral character I was forced to make a fictitious slanderous testimony, slandering myself while I, during the existence of owls. authorities (and I have been in the party since 1917) did not commit any acts of an anti-Soviet nature, but on the contrary, I honestly gave all my strength only for the benefit of my happy socialist homeland. I retracted this slanderous testimony as early as June 21, 1938, and it will be refuted with an objective complete verification of individual points. Although all the persons involved in my arrest were exposed in their enemy activities, put in jail, and perhaps someone was convicted. For 12 months now, I have been innocently detained with all the ensuing experiences. February 20 this year I was summoned for an interrogation, in which the prosecutor participated (this is the first time I met a new person besides my investigators), where they promised to double-check everything, but for some reason it all moves slowly, and you yourself understand how much health costs one day of being in prison of a man who did not deserve it.

I appeal to you with a request to pay attention to this circumstance, putting an end to my suffering.

I am an honest son of my homeland and the party to which I belong with all my being until my last breath.

I can speak about my case separately if necessary, but I will note that when I reviewed it, I did not find any data on my supposedly counter-revolutionary actions, with the exception of a false decision, the so-called. false wording of the accusation that, being interned, I fled through Latvia and was arrested by the gendarmerie there, which I concealed at the time that I fled with a group of special officers through Lithuania.

Once again I ask for your proper response to my case.

Petitioner Lyman-Sapiet K.I.

Minsk prison

7. Statement of Kundovich, scribbled in the name of the Sakratar of Magileussk of the Civil Code of the Communist Party (b) B

To the Secretary of the Mogilev City Committee of the CP(b)B

from a member of the CP (b) B since 1921, the Mogilev party organization -

KUNDOVICH V.V., Mogilev, Leninskaya 53.

Statement

On May 26, 1938, according to provocative, falsely concocted "data", by employees of the UNKVD in the Mogilev region, I was arrested and thrown into a damp basement, into a solitary damp cell. This provocation created against me that I am supposedly an "enemy of the people" was exclusively concocted by b. early UNKVD Yagodkin and Samersov, now convicted as enemies of the people. The “investigation” on me was entrusted to the investigator Yandovsky (a member of the CP (b) B), the latter mocked me for 2 months, inflicted all kinds of grave insults on me, demanded false confessions from me so that I wrote that I was “an enemy of the people ", spy of 4 countries. I responded to this provocation with a categorical protest, proving that I had never and nowhere committed any crime against the party and the Soviet government, that I was an honest, genuine Bolshevik-Communist of the Great Party of Lenin-Stalin. They threatened me in every possible way, intimidated me with bandit reprisals, from Yandovsky and Yagodkin, to “fairy tales themselves.” But I was unshakable and did not go for a provocation, for which water was poured into the cell, and so damp, without light, where I stood in the water for 42 days. In mid-July 1938, I was summoned for “interrogation” by investigator Yurkov (member of the Communist Party (Bolsheviks)), the latter also demanded provocative testimony from me that I was an “enemy of the people”, applying all kinds of bullying to me, up to defecation air into my mouth, also inflicted all sorts of grave insults on me, and in front of Yurkov I so withstood pressure and lies and slander, I did not write about myself. A few days later I was summoned for "interrogation" b. deputy early UNKVD Abramov (member of the CP(b)B). The latter suggested that I write a provocation against myself that I was “an enemy of the people, a spy” and also “a member of the Right-Trotskyist k / r organization that existed on the territory of the Mogilev district and mountains. Mogilev” and gave provocative testimony against the secretaries of the City Committee of the CP(b)B Shuba and Tur, since I allegedly had close connection In addition, Abramov told me that I allegedly participated in an underground meeting with Shub and Tur in May 1937, and that this meeting was allegedly held by Sharangovich and Klimchuk. I also categorically refused this provocation, arguing that I had never and nowhere participated in any underground meeting, that I had no idea about the c/r right-Trotskyist organization, that I knew Shuba and Tur as honest and devoted communists and party members. leaders. Abramov “proved” to me that he had “testimonies” and demanded to confirm this provocation. I categorically refused, saying that I would rather die honest, the way I was and am, but I will not take the provocation upon myself. A few days later I was summoned for "interrogation" b. early UNKVD Yagodkin. Samersov and 2 other employees from the UGB were present in his office, their names are not known to me. Yagodkin suggested that I write a provocation against myself that I was “a spy and a member of Pravo-Trotsk. k / r organization "and gave detailed testimonies against Shub, Tur, Shubik, Bachyukov and others., 18 people in total, that "they are also enemies of the people." I categorically refused to comply with Yagodkin's provocative proposals, after which I was beaten until I lost consciousness. I was beaten in Yagodkin's office by Yagodkin, Samersov and 2 other people unknown to me. After that, Yagodkin told me that “he would shoot me,” and he would let me in for “processing” with the cell bandit Lonsky, who would force me to write everything that Yagodkin needed for him. I categorically stated that he Yagodkin and others could beat me up, but they would not hear lies, slander and provocations from me. After that, I was thrown into a stone bag-punishment cell completely without air, stained with human feces, where I "sat" for 120 days. On November 15, 1938, I was summoned for “interrogation” by the UGB investigator Kazakevich (a member of the CP (b) B), the latter tortured me for 2 days, “stands”, inflicted all possible insults on me, demanded a “confession” that I allegedly "participant" right-Trotskyist. k / r organizations. I also gave a categorical rebuff to Kazakevich, yet Kazakevich brought me a provocative charge under Articles 72 and 75. Criminal Code of the BSSR and for the first time I was officially interrogated. I categorically rejected the accusation brought against me and declared that it was a provocation, that he was carrying out Yagodkin's assignment.

In January 1939, I don’t remember the exact date, I was summoned for interrogation by investigator Gushcha (member of the CP(b)B), Gushcha told me that he had orders from Yagodkin to “kill” me. The thick of me began to exceed the already new, 3rd in a row, charge under the 180th article. of the Criminal Code of the BSSR that I am allegedly a “marauder”, that Petrusenko, Sidorenko and a friend have testimonies against me. I, as in this provocative accusation, am absolutely not guilty, just as categorically protested, proving that this was Yagodkin's provocation. In February 1939, I was repeatedly summoned by Gushcha for interrogation. Guscha mocked me, inflicted all sorts of grave insults on me, threw a press at me in the face, and said that he himself would shoot Guscha. I withstood before Gusha, and categorically denied all the provocation that was put forward against me.

On March 13, 1939, I was transferred from the basement to prison and put in a death cell, where I stayed until April 10, 1939 and was released on bail.

14-15.05.39 above me Petrusenko and other [them] Voen. Tribune. angle was considered. case, and as a result of the Military. I was acquitted by the Tribunal as if I were innocent of anything.

Sitting in the basement of the NKVD, I saw and heard how for 4 months in the cells of the basement they systematically beat the prisoners to a pulp day and night, and I personally saw how 6 people were beaten to death, I recognized one of them, this is Mr. Epshtein is an accountant of the Mogilev silk factory, I don’t know other names. An eyewitness was such a fact, when at night in the month of July the slave. UNKVD Gushcha and Titov (members of the CP(b)B) went down to the basement, entered the 3rd cell, a regime one, and under the guise of arrested people - dressed in civilian clothes - beat the prisoners half to death. commonplace it was when in the corridors of the basement several people lay beaten to a pulp. It was a nightmare of a return to the torture of the Middle Ages. Would have known about it. deputy Beginning UNKVD Abramov. As far as I know, currently working in Supreme Court BSSR. Dozens of prisoners killed in the basement by bandits: Lonsky, Abramchuk, Orlov and a friend. under the leadership of Yagodkin, Abramov and Samersov, they were drawn up acts of "death" from the disease by Dr. Gelberg.

Hundreds of people died from beatings in the Mogilev prison hospital, from broken ribs, collarbones, broken kidneys - hernias. For all, fictitious acts were drawn up by Dr. Gelberg and Vasilevsky. This was well known. prison to Yemelyanov, such as Yagodkin's agent hid this greatest crime from the party and Soviet power. I believe that the above persons (members of the CP (b) B) who are currently working in the NKVD bodies like Gushcha, Titov, Kazakevich, Gorsky and others, as having committed the gravest crime against the party, should suffer the appropriate punishment.

To this Kundovich

8. List of Raikhlinovich ў Varashylovsky Raykam KP(b)B

1939

I am compelled to turn to you, because on the spot, no matter how much I applied, everything remained to no avail. I am a working blacksmith, I come from a poor working-class family, my father is also a working blacksmith, worked for hire until 1918, I worked as a blacksmith for hire, in 1918, conscious of my class duty, I voluntarily joined the ranks of the Red Guard, subsequently Red Army, and went to the front, where I participated as a junior and middle commander on the Western Fronts against the White Poles until 1921.

After the conclusion of peace, I continued to serve in the Red Army until 1923. I joined the CPSU(b) in 1919, being at the front of the Red Army.

When demobilized from the Red Army, I entered the service in the RK militia as a commander of a cavalry. units of the militia, where I served until 1937, for the entire time I was in the service, both in the Red Army and in the militia, not only had no reprimand, but even had no reprimand, I also had no reprimands on the partisan line, I always carried out the general line of the Party.

By service I have whole line rewards and certificates for the successful fight against banditry, such as: an honorary badge of a policeman, a firearm, a letter from the Marshal of the Soviet Union Comrade. Budyonny, I have two personal certificates and 500 rubles. money.

But, apparently, the enemies of the people did not like my honest, devoted work in the organs, on September 15, 1937, I was summoned to the Police Department of Belarus and immediately arrested, put in prison:

The investigation was conducted by the UGB NKVD of the BSSR, after a two-month stay in prison, I was charged with espionage and bitter days of torment and inhuman mockery began, I was tortured by various medieval means, without any reason they demanded from me only one thing, that I signed that I was a spy, investigators of the UGB NKVD SUSMAN, PISAREV, ZAVATSKY, VYSOTSKY and 4 investigators, whose names I do not know, staged such an inquisition over me that it is impossible to describe, not to mention the severe beatings that undermined all my health, and torture - it simply took unbearable character.

In November 1937, I was brought in for interrogation at 1 a.m., and the massacre began, I was tied in a straitjacket and beaten until I lost consciousness, in December of the same year they performed a mock circumcision on me, it happened like this: during the interrogation, they suggested that I lower my pants, allegedly they want to circumcise me, to which I immediately did not agree, but after a severe beating, I lowered my pants, and one of the investigators took out a knife and forced me to put my genitals on a stool, but so As I didn’t, they grabbed me by the genitals and started dragging me around the room until I lost consciousness.

Next New Year, i.e. On January 1, 1938, I was also summoned for interrogation at exactly 2 o'clock in the morning, they made me stand still, and one of them stood on a stool and began to urinate in my ear, in the same month also at 1 a.m. at 30 degrees below zero with deliberately open At the windows and doors, they stripped me in one shirt, poured 2 decanters of water over my collar and forced me to sit until 8 o’clock in the morning, absolutely all my clothes up to the undershirt and underpants froze, I myself was frozen to the point of losing consciousness, such torture lasted 9 months . After that, they announced to me the decision of a special trio that I was sentenced to three years as a socially dangerous element and was sent to the Unzhevsk camps.

After my complaint, my case was reviewed, and after a seven-month stay in the camp, I was released and, however, the investigator of the UGB NKVD PISAREV, the same one who subjected me to beatings, reviewed my case, asked me to excuse me for the “misunderstanding” that I was three year tortured in vain, and the case was dismissed.

During my time under arrest, my family was thrown out of the apartment, it was announced to them that they were the family of an enemy of the people, my things were gone, I raised a horse at my own expense as a lover of cavalry riding, and after my arrest they left it in that part of the Militia where I worked , and upon my release, they don’t return it to me, so after my release I found myself simply in a hopeless situation, sick and without a livelihood and without an apartment.

On the basis of the foregoing, I ask you to take into account my difficult situation, help me restore my lost health, restore me to work and return my apartment and horse, with which I hope, at the first necessary opportunity, to defend our beloved homeland and destroy the enemies of the people who tried to shake our sacred territory. The enemies of the people shook my health, but did not shake my Bolshevik will, I was born a Bolshevik by nature and will die like that, I will die for the workers' cause, for the cause of LENIN-STALIN.

I add that investigator Vysotsky, who beat me and mocked me, forced me to stand still, hold a thick book of the gospel, be baptized and pray, at the present time he has been dismissed from the NKVD bodies and, at a special request, got a job in the Ministry of Military Trade as a head. special units, is still a member of the party.

Pisarev also beat and mocked me, also a party member, continues to work in the NKVD UGB.

My address: city. Minsk, Pervomaiskaya street, house number 1, apt. 2. Raikhlinovich

True: Secretary of the Voroshilovsky RK CP(b)B Vlasov

9 . Statement of the past of the captain 13 p. Kunda sacrataru of the Central Committee of the CP(b)B

1939

Statement

from a former party member and former. captain of the 13th page of the division

KUND Gustav Gendrigovich

From interrogations after my arrest on June 26, 1938, I realized that I had been arrested in order to check what kind of connection I had with Estonia.

I proved that I left the territory of present-day Estonia in 1912 after the death of my parents, worked in Leningrad until 1918, then served in the Red Army until the day of my arrest.

I thought that I had been arrested by mistake, but when about 20 more commanders, mostly of non-Russian nationality, arrived in cell 88, I realized that this was not a mistake, but something else that they could not explain. They said in the cell that once you hit, you won’t get out of here, if there is no case, then they will create it, and that people go crazy from beatings and there are cases of murder and suicide. In confirmation of this, I saw traces of beatings at st. lieutenant MAMONTOV of the NKVD regiment, political worker OLESHKEVICH Minsk military. student, major Lastovka 7th class, major Lesnyak - 100th division, they all said that they had shown a lie on themselves, under attack, under the dictation of the investigator. I, Captain Nizberg and Captain Andreev I.B. they avoided beatings by making up an imaginary version of espionage together with the investigator, it was felt that in prison they were only getting a signature on a piece of paper, it didn’t matter if the person was guilty and whether the crime had been committed (they said that this was necessary in order to convict a person at a special meeting in absentia ).

There were also versions command staff after verification will be sent to China and Spain, and that the arrest and protocols are a mask for the event.

Later, when all this did not come true, one wonders how the members of the party and the old commanders gave false testimony under battle. I am now sure that those commanders in the cell and I in fascist captivity or prison would have withstood any beatings without uttering a word, but there was a different situation - methods were used: 1) if you testify, you will get better conditions in prison and information and communication with family, 2) versions about the possibility of a trip to China and Spain, 3) for articles for which they give 10 years, it turned out to be admin. expulsion, 4) the main idea was that it was necessary for the Soviet government, and when the old members of the party, authorized divisions, who knew their commanders that they were not spies, made spies out of them with their fists, you begin to think that it might really be so necessary. Now, when the beatings have stopped, obviously due to the intervention of the Party, and many spy reports are being changed into truthful ones, we feel that what was being done was the line of the Party. But either because of official prestige or in order to justify the arrest. The turning point is very difficult, if a person had article 63, then jumping to the 68th and 72nd or, in extreme cases, accusing him of an official crime, but not in a Bolshevik way, decide, if not guilty, take responsibility and release, in this matter I ask interference in the affairs of the party organization. Having experienced everything on oneself, it seems that it is completely unacceptable to condemn a person in absentia, because there may be false both paper witness documents and the testimony of the defendant himself, obtained in an unclean way. There was no sense of prosecutorial oversight of the investigation, they said that the prosecutor was afraid to show himself. Feels like it needs educational work among the investigators, since not only during the investigation, but also conversations follow. each other is a complete mess. I do not feel resentment for being arrested and being in prison, because I know that this is not the party line. It hurts that friends and maybe family consider me an enemy of the people and it is alarming that my wife was left with a baby without funds. Listening to the collective farmers, Soviet employees and the military, it is felt that rarely anyone generalizes the reasons. The majority hopes for Comrade Stalin for the Party, expecting a fair resolution of the matter. I don't know how I was expelled, because. arrested with a party card in his pocket. I ask the Central Committee to pay more attention to us.

1 0. P.A.

Snowstorm 29, 1938

OWN HAND INDICATIONS

accused SHIROKOGO Platon Aleksandrovich

On the merits of the accusation brought against me about a gross violation of revolutionary legality, I testify:

In August 1937, from the 5th department for investigative work, he was temporarily transferred to the investigative group at the 4th department, where comrade was directly subordinated. Zavadsky and conducted an investigation into the conspirators. From the first day of my transition to investigative work, I was faced with the fact when employees of the 4th Department, in particular BYKHOVSKY, SLUKIN, LUKASHENKO, KUNTSEVICH, DUDAREV, POLITKO, KAUFMAN, and others, used methods of physical pressure on the arrested. Upon arrival at the investigation team, I began to work together with the operative officer POLOVINKIN and received two people arrested, one of them was former. regiment commander, and the other Nach. headquarters 3 cav. corps, I don’t remember the first name, but the second CROSS. Working with the regiment commander, the latter quickly confessed during the investigation that he was a participant in the conspiracy. From the beginning headquarters worked a full five days and did not get any evidence. True, no measures of physical influence were applied to either the first or the second. After that, while working with the arrested - beg. Headquarters CROSS - the former came into the room. People's Commissar BERMAN, listened for about five minutes as I interrogated the arrested person, immediately ordered the arrested person to be released, and when the arrested person was released, BERMAN began to scold me that I was liberal with the arrested person, that I could not interrogate properly and that I was interrogating without partiality, warning me, that if I continue to interrogate like this, then there will be no place for me in the authorities. The next day, the arrested KROSS, by order of BERMAN, was taken away from me and after some time handed over to BYKHOVSKY, who, at his first call for interrogation, thanks to the use of physical measures received a statement.

At the end of August Month or the beginning of September Month, I don’t remember exactly, BERMAN at one of the operational meetings strongly scolded the operational staff for the weak pace in the investigation, reproached them for being liberal with the arrested, cited as an example how to interrogate - BYKHOVSKY and whom Also, I don't remember the last name. After this meeting, in all departments of the People's Commissariat, as a system, methods of physical influence began to be applied to the arrested. Working together on the investigation with POLOVINKIN, both of whom were the same at that time in their positions (detective officers), we also began to apply measures of physical coercion to individual arrestees, to those arrested, in whom we were sure that they were enemies and had materials on them. So, for example, we applied measures of physical influence to the former. a doctor of the Polotsk mechanized brigade (whose last name I don’t remember), who, together with a group of commanders of this brigade, in protest and revenge for the defeat of the leaders of the fascist conspiracy in the Red Army, poisoned the military. As far as I remember, 6-7 people were involved in this case, other employees were investigating the rest of those arrested, all those arrested pleaded guilty and were sentenced to capital punishment by the tribunal. Another case of the use of physical measures of influence by me, together with POLOVINKIN, was against three servicemen of the 24th cavalry. div., doctor SAKOVICH, Pom. regiment commander PETUKHOV, who poisoned military personnel by using the Butulin poison, they were all conspirators, they pleaded guilty and were sentenced to VMN by the military collegium of the Supreme Court. The third case is when the former was transferred to us for investigation. the secretary of the Orsha District Committee of the Party - SOSKIN, to whom physical measures were also applied, soon SOSKIN was taken away from us and transferred to BYKHOVSKY, and subsequently the Collegium of the Supreme Court was sentenced to VMN. All those arrested were subjected to methods of physical influence like a slap in the face. After the October holidays November 1937, I again returned to work in the 5th department, where the employees of the 5th department, as well as the employees of other departments, also used methods of physical pressure on the arrested and showed themselves in this: SOTIKOV, ZAMYSHLYAEV, GIL, AVERBUKH, VLASOV, ROMANIUK, VOLKOV and others. I recall such a case, at the end of November 1937 or the beginning of December 1937, VOLKOV, under the leadership of SOTIKOV, interrogated one major terrorist, who was killed on the spot by using excessive methods of physical force, a similar case took place in the 4th department (except for the case SLUKIN), where a young worker under the leadership of BYKHOVSKY, or I don’t remember KUNTSEVICH, also killed an arrested person during interrogation and, thanks to BERMAN, these comrades were not held accountable for these crimes. With regard to the direct instructions of BERMAN to interrogate with prejudice, I want to dwell on one more case, in December 1937, by a group of conspirators in one of military units The barracks of the Minsk garrison were built by saboteurs, which collapsed with the settlement of the fighters, as a result, 6 fighters were crushed to the ground. Five people were arrested in the case. And during their arrest, BERMAN gave instructions to interrogate them with such passion that it was dark in their eyes, after that all these persons were interrogated with passion, personally by me under the direction of SOTIKOV, and subsequently the former was interrogated with him. early building LEIBOVITCH to which methods of physical impact were applied. All these persons pleaded guilty and were sentenced by the Military Collegium to capital punishment.

In 1938, I personally refused to use methods of physical coercion, however, although they were applied to individual arrestees, it was only with the permission of the former. Commissar Nasedkin. So, for example: in June-July 1937, with the arrival of URYVAEV in Minsk and when he became the head, or rather the head of the 6th Department, he got acquainted with the materials of the investigation and what the accused were like, said that in relation to some of the accused he he will talk with the People's Commissar to allow the use of methods of physical coercion and a few days later, with the approval of Nasedkin, as Uryvaev said, the latter, together with me, used methods of physical coercion (a slap in the face) to the following arrestees on whom we had data - these are KASPER, TABAKOV, KHOLNIK, NIKOLAEV.

Why did I personally begin to use methods of physical pressure on those arrested, including other employees: the first is a direct installation of BERMAN, and secondly, direct assistance in this and pushing the heads of departments into this, in particular, the former. The head of the 4th department, VOLCHEK, walked around the room and showed the investigators how to apply methods of physical pressure to the arrested, a similar thing was observed from Zavadsky. When he personally walked around the rooms and helped the investigator to interrogate the arrested person with the use of physical measures. An example of this is the case of the interrogation of TEMKIN, VASILEVSKY, TOLKACHEV and a number of other persons. There was such a case with the interrogation of one arrested by the 5th department at the beginning of 1938 (I don’t know the name of the arrested person), the investigation in his case was conducted by AVERBUKH, who, together with ZAVADSKY, applied methods of physical pressure to him, knocked out his jaw, about the details of this fact knows Detective 6 Division SHEIKMAN.

The third reason that made it possible to apply methods of physical coercion to those arrested is that this happened in front of individual prosecutors, such as the former. Deputy Prosecutor BOVO DEEV, who not only saw and heard how the arrested were being interrogated, but also, according to Zavadsky, was engaged in assault on the arrested person at one of the confrontations, also knew, saw and knows the real Zam. prosecutor BOVO - KISELEV, since the latter repeatedly visited the rooms where the arrested were interrogated using methods of physical coercion and, walking along the corridors, could not help but hear the noise that occurred in the rooms. The prosecutors of the Border and Internal Guards SOKOLOV and his deputy SILVERSTOV also knew and heard about this, however, despite all this, there were no warnings from them.

Fourthly, members of the Military Collegium of the Supreme Court of the USSR, who went to the place for the analysis of cases, where the Chairman of the Tribunal of the Border and Internal Guard of the BSSR - TOMANSKY, was present, starting from the meeting of the first collegium - in the summer of 1937 and ending in the summer of 1938, repeatedly heard statements from the accused that they were beaten during the investigation, but no measures were taken here either.

Finally, the last thing, and what I consider the most important thing, is that the party organization of the People's Commissariat in this showed what is called inactivity, without warning the team in time and did not signal the higher party organizations about this. Himself formerly Secretary of the Party Committee KAUFMAN interrogated those arrested using the most severe methods of physical coercion. An example of this is his interrogation of the arrested KRASILNIKOV, SHIDLOVSKII (both are alive).

These are the circumstances that gave rise to and drew the entire operational staff working on the investigation to the use of physical measures against the arrested.

Personally, I, like other workers, being in this position, believed that at a given period of time this was required by the country for the speedy defeat and liquidation of all enemy nests and underground. I honestly worked, honestly fought against all types of counter-revolution, and I will give my whole life for the cause of the party of Lenin-Stalin, and no element will incline me to the enemy's path.

On the issue of falsification of cases, I must state that I have not had such cases in my practice, if there was even the slightest resemblance to this, then it could happen there, that I overlooked or did not overlook and this could not be

WIDE

1 1. From the sheet of asujanaga and rastrelu of the past of the head of the UNKUS in the Vitebsk region P.Ya.

6 Kastrychnik 1939

B. Urgent

C. Secret

Hand over immediately

To the Central Committee Communist Party Bolsheviks of Belarus

Personally

Secretary of the Central Committee gr. Ponomarenko

From the convict on 27.09. this year Military Tribunal of the NKVD Troops of the Belorussian District to V.M. - the execution of Pyotr Yakovlevich RYADNOV, member. VKP(b) since 1924, ex. early UNKVD for Vitebsk region, in. member Bureau of the Regional Committee, Deputy Supreme Council BSSR, order bearer. 1902 born. From peasant collective farmers, arr. "lower", worked in the NKVD from 1920-25. and from 1930 to the day of arrest on 19.1. 39 Minsk. The NKVD prison is a one-person prison.

Citizen Secretary...

The greatest provocation was carried out by the enemies of the people - this gang of fascists, who were doing their vile deed, against the party of Lenin-Stalin, the people of the Great Union of the SSR. This gang, while in prison, continuing their vile deed - slandering innocent NKVD workers in their vile intentions and deeds, forcing the investigation, misled by enemies, to apply a number of moral and physical measures of influence to the slandered enemies and innocent NKVD workers, by virtue of which, unable to withstand the undeserved torment, having lost strength and reason, in despair and completely unfounded, these slandered by enemies are forced to give a lie to the investigation, slandering themselves and other employees, hoping that the investigation will objectively conduct an investigation, establish both the slander of enemies and the forced slander of innocent themselves and others, on on the basis of verifying the documentation of facts, to be convinced of the slander of the enemies, but the investigation, without any verification of the facts, believing the slander of the enemies, made incorrect conclusions, qualifying individual errors and violations in the operational-investigative work, committed due to the blind implementation of the directives and instructions of the enemy leadership that turned out to be, as allegedly conscious hostile work by entering thereby misleading the court, which, on the basis of enemy slander, pronounced such a severe sentence, depriving of life.

Citizen Secretary... I swear to you. I have never been and could not be an enemy, a conspirator, I never had anything in my thoughts against my own Soviet power and the party of Lenin-Stalin, I am the son of the Soviet people, I could not go against myself, my father, a collective farmer, against my Soviet people, I do not and cannot have a homeland other than the USSR. Nothing could push me onto the enemy's path in fascist camp, which is maliciously alien to me [...]

P. Ryadnov

1 2. Davedka to the head of the UNKUS in the Gomel region, lieutenant dzyarzh. byaspeki of Shlifenson Samuil Iosifavich

November 26, 1938

TOP SECRET

Shlifenson Samuil Iosifovich - born in 1903, a native of the city of Velizh, Zap. region, Jew, from employees, employee, member of the CPSU (b) since 1921, lower education, in the NKVD since 1921 (in the period from 1925 to 1932 he served in the border guard). Member of the Central Committee of the CP(b)B and deputy of the Supreme Soviet of the BSSR. In 1937 awarded the order"A RED STAR".

Repeatedly carried out by checking the investigative work of the NKVD of the BSSR, an examination in August and September 1938, the statements of a number of employees of the NKVD of the BSSR and the testimony of some of the arrested, it was established that SHLIFENSON cultivated various perversions in the methods of investigative work, leading to gross violations of revolutionary legality.

Having headed the Orsha task force since the summer of 1937, created during the operation on kulak-criminal elements, which was then left to carry out the operation by order 00485 and others, SHLIFENSON in mid-November 1937 was also appointed part-time Head of the Mogilev City Department, by whom he was in charge until January 1, 1938. Here he personally created a chamber agent, which, instead of developing the arrested enemies, illegally forced them to testify, often provocative.

SHLIFENSON personally, and on his instructions also the former Head of the 3rd Division DAVIDENKO (the reference to DAVIDENKO was compiled separately) created 2 special so-called "regime" cells in the Mogilev prison, from which trestle beds and bunks were thrown out and extremely difficult conditions were created, significantly superior to the usual punishment cell. Almost all the arrested were passed through these "security" cells. The "agency" created by SHLIFENSON was placed in the same cells, which, by means of physical pressure, forced the arrested to give any evidence, and in a number of cases the content of the testimony was prompted by the arrested cell agent. SHLIFENSON bluntly told the investigators: “Whatever you do with the arrested does not concern me, I only need their confessions”. All leadership of the investigators was carried out by SHLIFENSON in such a way as to emasculate any partisanship in investigative work and to obtain evidence in any way, without going into the question of whether these testimonies were correct and whether there were any taken by mistake among the arrested people.

When some workers put before SHLIFENSON the question of the wrong and illegal actions of the chamber "agency", he answered them: “What is happening in the basement does not concern me, I am only interested in the number of people who confessed”.

Determined that when one of the workers wrote a report about the outrages that had taken place addressed to the former People's Commissar of the NKVD of the BSSR BERMAN, and SHLIFENSON found out about this, he warned the entire operational staff at one of the operational meetings that only enemies who had nothing in common could write about such things with the party that these people need to be interested and checked.

After his appointment in January 1938 as the Head of the Gomel City Department (now the UNKVD for the Gomel Region), SHLIFENSON transferred the same methods to Gomel. The survey found that he created in Gomel a "security cell" similar to those described above, in which the arrested were kept in unacceptable conditions.

Based on the foregoing, SHLIFENSON C.AND. for gross violations of revolutionary legality - SUBJECT TO ARREST.

People's Commissar of Internal Affairs of the BSSR

Major Mrs. Security Nasedkin

1 3. A note to us. NKUS Rashetnikava Sakratar of the Central Committee of the CP(b)B Panamarenka “About rude parushenny revaluation of law enforcement to the chiefs of Arshanskag Goraddzela NKUS Shchuravym N.G.”

Owls. Secret

Shchurov N.G., born in 1907, member. All-Union Communist Party of Bolsheviks since 1928, a native of the city of Gorki, BSSR, being in a leading position in the NKVD during 1937-1938. rudely violated the roar. legality, allowed torture and exceptional sadism during the interrogation of those arrested, thus forcing them to give fictitious testimonies.

Shchurov, being the head of the Orsha City Department of the NKVD, illegally executed the sentence on 14 convicts, contrary to the order of the NKVD of the USSR No.

In addition, while working as the Head of the 3rd department of the Mogilev UNKVD, he created agents in the cell, which he gave enemy installations to beat the arrested, creating privileges for cell inmates agents […]

As a result of the enemy work of agents, 8 people were killed […]

On the instructions of Shchurov, the cell agent Lonsky was brought ink into the cell and asked to write a statement against a number of residents of the Shklovsky district, where Lonsky lived. The latter wrote in the cell that enemies lived in the village councils in the Shklovsky district, slandered 18 people, who were arrested on the basis of the materials and immediately put in cell No. 6, where Lonsky was imprisoned. Due to the harsh regime of the cell and the beatings by Lonsky, the arrested gave fictitious testimonies. Subsequently, they were released as innocently arrested.

Shchurov gave 150 rubles to chamber agent Orlov for enemy work. remuneration, and also released the latter from custody, despite the fact that Orlov's offense under 72 Art. The Criminal Code of the BSSR was fully proven (Orlov was arrested by us and is being prosecuted).

Shchurov, working the investigative unit of the 3rd department of the UGB NKVD of the BSSR, in 1937 grossly violated the roar. legality, used physical measures of influence on those arrested, thus forcing them to testify, forced these methods to be applied to those arrested, the apparatus subordinate to him.

In addition, Shchurov, while working in the NKVD, had a close relationship with the political defector Golder (now arrested and exposed as a Polish spy).

Shchurov was removed from his post and a petition was filed to bring him to justice.

What is reported for your information.

Deputy NKVD Captain GB Reshetnikov

1 4. Adkaz of the People's Commissariat of Internal Affairs L. Tsanava to us. zag. AC of the Central Committee of the CP(b)B Valoshyn to test hell 5 handsome man in 1939 was sent to the head of Rechytsk RA NKUS I.Ya. Valavika

14 beauty 1939

Top secret

We inform you that Volovik Isaak Yakovlevich, being the Head of the Rechitsa district office The NKVD of the BSSR in the period from May 20 to November 5, 1938 systematically violated revolutionary legality in investigative work. He gave criminal instructions to his subordinate apparatus - when interrogating witnesses, to warn the latter that these cases are subject to consideration of a secret court, where witnesses in the case will not be called. Such a warning is a violation of 136 Art. The Criminal Code of the BSSR served as a pretext for giving false - provocative testimony.

Volovik gave direct instructions on the creation of provocative cases in the event that the witness does not show the anti-Soviet activities of the object of interest, then add fictitious facts of anti-Soviet activity on his own in the interrogation protocols, he also instructed the staff in the office of the District Department to draw up protocols of interrogation without the presence of a witness. He made arrests not for the criminal activity of this or that citizen, but for what he is by nationality of another state: a Pole, a Latvian, a German, etc.

In the light of such criminal instructions by Volovik, the employees of the Rechitsa RO of the NKVD of the BSSR committed massive forgeries and falsifications during the interrogation of witnesses, created artificial provocative cases, and innocent people were arrested.

In such a criminal way, the persons arrested by Volovik were transferred to b. Beginning UNKVD in the Gomel region. Shlifensohn, the latter put them in a secure cell, the so-called. "steam room". After passing through the “steam room”, the detainees gave fictitious testimonies about criminal activity, and then, on the basis of only self-confession, they were convicted by two and three.

The case against Volovik under Art. 180 p. “b” of the Criminal Code of the BSSR is completed and transferred to the court of the Military Tribunal P and VV of the NKVD of the BSSR.

NKVD Art. Major GB L. Tsanava

1 5. Pavedamlenne of the People's Commissariat of Internal Affairs L. Tsanava Sakratar of the Central Committee of the Communist Party (b) of Belarus Panamarenka

Top secret

Produced by checking the received materials on Wreed. Head of Department 2 of the Department of the UGB of the NKVD of the BSSR Tarakanov Sergey Ivanovich - it was established:

1. Tarakanov S.I. when he was the head of the Slutsk City Department and the Interdistrict Investigation Group, he was the initiator of a gross violation of revolutionary legality in investigative work.

Under his leadership and with personal participation in the process of conducting the investigation, a system of physical methods of interrogating the arrested was used, as a result of which the latter gave fictitious testimonies about their alleged counter-revolutionary activities.

2. By order of Tarakanov, up to 70 people were kept in a cell designed to hold 7-8 people (the so-called “steam room”), where the arrested could only stand, many fainted, but were brought to their senses and again placed in this same cell, until they gave the investigation the required testimony with fictitious confessions of their counter-revolutionary activities. In 1938, as a result of such detention, 23 remand prisoners died.

3. For 1938 Tarakanov S.I. arrested more than 120 citizens based on unfounded false materials. Many of them were beaten during their detention and subsequently released.

4. According to the materials of the survey of the Slutsk City Department of the NKVD of the BSSR, carried out in October 1938, it can be seen that a total of 137 people were released from custody of remand prisoners, most of whom were beaten.

Based on the above - Wreed. Head of the 1st Department of the 2nd Department of the UGB NKVD of the BSSR - Sergey Ivanovich Tarakanov, I ask you to remove him from work.

NKVD Art. Major GB L. Tsanava

1 6 . A note from the Viceroy of the People's Commissar of Internal Affairs Gladkov to the Sakratar of the Central Committee of the CP (b) B Panamarenka for a test adnosna varozhai of the pastors of the kyraunitstva of Gomelskaga UNKUS

June 21, 1939

Top secret

NA No. P-1881 dated April 21, 1939

The facts set out in the statement released from custody HAYKINA T.AND. about enemy work ex. leadership of the Gomel UNKVD are fully confirmed.

Ex. the leadership of the Gomel NKVD: Rakovsky, Yagodkin and Shlifenson, as people who accidentally made their way to leadership work in the NKVD, carried out enemy work, which was aimed at beating up Soviet party cadres.

RAKOVSKY, YAGODKIN and SHLIFENSON carried out massive illegal and unjustified arrests, created artificial crimes. organization, seeking obviously fictitious testimonies from the arrested, about their alleged belonging to the k.r. organizations, by creating secure chambers "steam rooms" and chamber provocative agents from among the arrested K.R. an element that forced the arrested by various methods of blackmail, provocation and mockery of them to give false testimony, slandering themselves and others.

Many innocently arrested were subsequently released from custody with the termination of cases against them.

RAKOVSKY, YAGODKIN and SHLIFENSON were arrested and sentenced to capital punishment for hostile work in the NKVD.

RAKAVSKY was exposed during the investigation as a Japanese spy.

Yagodkin and Shlifenson are exposed as participants in a military fascist conspiracy.

Part of the employees of the Gomel NKVD: SINELNIKOV, NESTEROVICH, DROZDOV, KRASNIK and a friend. for beating those arrested and a number of other criminal acts that were carried out at the direction of the former. enemy leadership, were also arrested and sentenced to various terms.

Deputy People's Commissar of Internal Affairs Captain GB BSSR Gladkov

1 7. Abvinavkae prisoner and jumper of Vaennaga Trybunal of the NKUS Troops on the abvinavachvanni of the past of the head of the UNKUS of the Vitebsk region - Radnov Piatr Yakavelevich i beginning. Polatsk goradzela NKUS Dobraserdava Leanid Vasilyevich

14 beauty 1940

Indictment following. case No. 51413

on charges of Ryadnov Petr Yakovlevich and Dobroserdov Leonid Vasilievich in the crime provided. Articles 69 and 76 of the Criminal Code of the BSSR

management State Security On January 19, 1939, the NKVD of the BSSR was arrested for enemy work in the NKVD. The head of the UNKVD for the Vitebsk region of the BSSR - Captain of the State Security Ryadnov Petr Yakovlevich, and on June 6, 1939, he was also arrested for enemy work in the NKVD. VRID. Beginning Polotsk City Department of the NKVD of the BSSR - ml. Lieutenant of State Security Dobroserdov Leonid Vasilievich and brought to trial under Art. 69 and 76 of the Criminal Code of the BSSR.

The investigation carried out in the case established that Petr Yakovlevich Ryadnov and Leonid Vasilyevich Dobroserdov are participants in the k.r. a conspiratorial organization that existed in the NKVD, whose goal was to overthrow the Soviet government and establish a fascist system, by organizing a coup within the country, on the instructions of which the K.R. enemy activity in the operational-investigative work and the NKVD, aimed at creating artificial provocative cases, bringing innocent Soviet citizens to justice, which was achieved through the production of unjustified arrests - which were carried out on national grounds and unverified materials, thereby subjecting Soviet party cadres to beatings and tried to arouse the discontent of the masses. They organized a system of non-Soviet methods of investigation, for which they created "security" cells, the so-called "steam rooms" with provocative agents, introduced as a system that during interrogation physical measures of influence were applied to the arrested, and often sadistic, as a result of which they were forced to obtain from the arrested fictitious testimonies, in which the arrested slandered themselves and other innocent persons, deliberately kept k.r. element, i.e. diverted from the last operational strike.

In the counter-revolutionary conspiratorial organization that existed in the NKVD, Ryadnov P.Ya. recruited in 1934 ex. Head of the 1st department of the SPO UNKVD, Moscow Region. Stolyarov Alexei Pavlovich, from whom he received the task to carry out enemy work in the NKVD and operational-investigative work, to divert an operational strike from a counter-revolutionary asset, to select and process persons from the operational staff for involvement in a counter-revolutionary organization.

In May, Mr. Ryadnov, through Radzivilovsky, established a connection with a member of the K.R. conspiratorial organization Nasedkin, who, in order to conduct enemy activities in the NKVD, brought Ryadnov to work in Belarus and appointed him head of the UNKVD for the Vitebsk region.

Ryadnov P.Ya., working as the head of the UNKVD in the Vitebsk region, for the period from May to December 1938 had a direct direct connection with Nasedkin on enemy activities and, on his instructions, deployed and carried out enemy activities in operational and investigative work, which consisted of the following : made unreasonable mass arrests of innocent people. He introduced, as a system, the use of physical methods to those arrested during interrogation, organized cells in prisons, the so-called "steam rooms" with provocative agents that provoked those arrested to give false testimony. All these methods led to the fact that innocent people were arrested, they slandered themselves and others, who were condemned [in] outside judicial order. As a result of the enemy work of Ryadnov, an operational blow was inflicted on honest Soviet citizens, and the enemy's K.R. the element was deliberately kept free. For greater organization in the conduct of enemy work in the NKVD, Ryadnov in July 1938 established contact with the participants of the K.R. on enemy work. conspiratorial organization former. Deputy Beginning UNKVD for the Vitebsk region Vlasov and former. Beginning 3 departments of the UNKVD of the Vitebsk region Levin, and in August m-tse of the same year (1938) Ryadnov attracted to the c.r. conspiratorial organization former. early 3 departments of the UNKVD of the Vitebsk region Vikhorev and former. Time Beginning Polotsk City Department of the NKVD of the BSSR Dobroserdov, who carried out enemy work on the instructions of Ryadnov.

Ryadnov made unjustified arrests by falsifying interrogation protocols, creating artificial group cases and arresting people based on fictitious testimonies, often making arrests on a national basis. Thus, a directive of July 3, 1938, No. 5309, was sent to the districts of the Vitebsk region, which directly stated that where there is a Latvian population, there must be a k.r. organization and this directive proposed to immediately start speeding up the submission of arrest certificates, which was done. A similar directive was sent to the districts of the Vitebsk region of August 11, 1938 under No. 6428, which also proposed to carry out mass arrests and obtain evidence from arrested persons on a large number of persons. Fictitious certificates of arrest were drawn up, during the sticker of photographs on passports, on the instructions of Ryadnov, the police revealed the nationality of citizens and the installation data, their deposits and arrival in the USSR. According to information received and not verified from the police, all persons who arrived in the USSR were arrested.

“... According to unsubstantiated and unverified intelligence reports, I arrested up to 20 Latvians, most of whom were convicted extrajudicially for various terms, and some of them to CMN. The above-mentioned persons were convicted only because during the investigation, under the influence of physical methods of interrogation, they gave fictitious testimonies that, allegedly, they were participants in the criminal investigation. the Latvian organization, or rather, they slandered themselves and others ... ".

“... In July 1938, 3 people were arrested. from the police: Shpak, Oshuiko and Chidrikh, after the arrest, Oshuiko was immediately taken to Minsk, the arrest itself was unfounded without any material. Oshuyko did not give any evidence... Shpak and Chidrich... testified, allegedly being agents of political intelligence, Shpak testified that he was recruited by Oshuyko and, in turn, Shpak recruited Chidrich... Minsk returned Oshuyko's case to Vitebsk for further investigation. Shpak’s case was also returned to clarify the facts of Oshuiko’s recruitment, in Chidrikh they were convicted to VMN and the sentence was carried out. An additional investigation did not establish the guilt of Shpak and Oshuiko ... ".

In order to obtain fictitious testimonies from the arrested, a system was introduced to apply physical measures to the arrested, those arrested were beaten during interrogation, demanding evidence. Security cells were created in the inner prison of the Vitebsk region, the so-called "steam rooms" with provocative agents. There were 13 such cells for No. 2, 7, 8, 9, etc., where the agents of these cells were Venger, Goncharov, Nedvitsky, Khochkovsky, Veytsekhovich, etc. In these cells there was a place for 8-19 people, and they imprisoned 40 -45-50 people Chamber agents beat the arrested, who came from the interrogation "unconfessed", forced the arrested to stand in the cell for several days in a row without sleep. In those cases when the arrested could not compose fictitious testimonies themselves, the chamber agents called recruiters arrested and taught how to testify during interrogation. If the arrested person did not agree to do this, then he was subjected to beatings. Ryadnov himself personally went around the investigation rooms, without asking anything from the arrested, beat them and left, there was a case when Ryadnov went into the office where the agent was sitting, without saying a word, thinking that the arrested person was sitting, hit the agent on the head with his fist and left . During the investigation, group cases were artificially created, where innocent people were included, they were arrested, and then, according to fictitious testimonies, they were convicted out of court. Interrogation protocols were drawn up without the presence of the arrested, and then the arrested were summoned and, under physical pressure, forced to sign pre-prepared interrogation protocols.

“Participant of k.r. organization Levin, directly supervising the investigation on my and Vlasov's assignments, carried out sabotage. Applying methods of physical pressure to the arrested, which led to a slander of themselves and others. On our own instructions, he created and directed the provocative activities of the chamber agents, which pushed the arrested to give false testimony. Agent Wenger showed himself especially in this ... in the case of the counter-revolutionary organization, the POV was artificially involved in this k.r. organization of up to 20 people, who were later partly convicted [in] out of court, and partly released due to the cessation of the work of the Troika. In the case of k.r. Latvian organizations were also artificially involved in this k.r. organization of a part of persons, at least 10 people, who slandered themselves and others ... A participant in the c.r. organization Vikhorev, on my instructions, deliberately did not strike at the Right-Trotskyist underground. They were artificially included in the Socialist-Revolutionary k.r. organization, opened in the Chashnichsky district, 5-7 people ... The k.r. was artificially created. Socialist-Revolutionary organization in the Senno district ...

Unjustified arrests are confirmed by the fact that only for one month, i.e. from February 8 to March 9, 1939, 128 people were released from custody in the Vitebsk region due to lack of evidence of guilt.

“... On August 29, 1939, Sokolov asked to go home on a day off. Levin said, “If you push today, you will go tomorrow.” Sokolov proceeded to interrogate the arrested, and on that day received confessions from six of the arrested. During the interrogation, Sokolov put questions to the arrested people directly: “he was going to blow up the bridge”, “he was a member of the k.r. organizations”, etc. He sought an affirmative answer from the arrested to all the questions posed, by applying brutal measures of physical coercion ...

Ryadnov, by agreement with the participants of the c.r. conspiratorial organization Stoyanovsky, Vlasov, Levin and others. contrary to the order of the NKVD of the USSR of November 26, 1938, No. 00762, on December 2, 1938, he carried out the canceled sentences on those convicted [in] extrajudicial order to the VMN for 41 people, all acts on enforcement of sentences were drawn up by the past date, i.e. all acts are dated November 22, 1938.

According to the 1st Special Department of the NKVD of the BSSR, it is clear that those arrested and convicted [in] extrajudicial proceedings, whose sentences were not carried out and the cases were sent for further investigation, by 08/28/39, up to 45% were released from custody due to lack of evidence guilt.

Secretary of the Tribunal Technician Quartermaster 2nd Rank Pleskanev

Detective of the 1st Special Department of the NKVD of the BSSR Kudryavtsev

18. Imprisoned by the NKUS of the BSSR on the abvination of former supracouncils of the UDB of the NKUS of the BSSR Gepshtein Aleksandr Mikhailavich i Seryshav Vasily Mikhailavich.

March 30, 1939

At one of the meetings of the 3rd Division, Gepshtein, in his speech, expressed the idea that if among the many exposed enemies, innocent people fall, then you should not panic because of this.

The investigation in the 3rd Department throughout Belarus was led by Gepshtein, the apparatus of the 3rd Department, on the direct instructions of Gepshtein and personally by Gepshtein to the arrested, as a rule, illegal methods of investigation were used, in some cases sadistic, as a result of which there were provocative and fictitious testimonies of the arrested, with slander of themselves and other innocent persons, the murders of those arrested by investigators during interrogations. In order to encourage pressure on the arrested - Gepshtein gave instructions about the "exposing" by investigators of one or two, or even three arrested people per day.

The mass beating of those arrested in the 3rd Division began in September 1937 and continued until May 1938. Along with beatings, sadistic methods of interrogation were used as a system for those arrested. The arrested were beaten with rubber whips, sat on the leg of an overturned stool and other sharp things. This was all done with the knowledge and encouragement of Gepshtein. Along with that, Gepshtein himself used sadistic interrogation methods. The use of methods of physical influence and sadism on the arrested reached the point that the arrested were formally mutilated, for example: on August 21, 1938, the arrested Skibo P.M. was admitted to the Minsk prison hospital with a ruptured bladder and traumatic contusions. Arrested Polto P.I. On August 31, 1938, he entered the prison hospital in Minsk with obvious injuries near the right inguinal region. Arrested Sikerich K.V. On July 25, 1938, he was admitted to the Minsk prison hospital with profuse bruising in the area of ​​the inguinal folds of the scrotum and penis, as well as an abundance of bruising. shoulder girdle. And a number of others, as well as to death, were killed during the investigation. So during the investigation, the arrested Shaban I.S., Ovechko M.S. were killed. other. The bodies of the murdered detainees, on the instructions of Gepshtein, were deliberately not opened, in order to hide the real causes of death.

As a result of the above physical and sadistic measures of influence on the arrested, from the act of 05/10/1939, the examination of the testimony received in the Special Corps from the arrested already sentenced to CMN and left by Gepshtein, it is clear that Gepshtein pursued the goal of obtaining evidence from each arrested person as much as possible more, to a large number of people, which was done. For example, out of the verified interrogated arrested in the Special Corps - 38 people (who testified after the sentence to CMN), testified against 3489 people, of which Yuzefovich S.I. testified against 183 people, Shneider Ya.A. for 193 people, Tarashkevich B.A. for 249 people, Sporikhin for 241 people, Zhilinsky F.F. for 244 people, etc.

According to these provocative testimonies, Gepshtein's telegrams, as well as his telephone orders in the periphery and other republics of the Union, arrested people without any materials other than Gepshtein's telephone order or telegram, which did not allow sending materials to persons arrested by his telegrams, and by telephone orders, as can be seen from Gepshtein's resolutions, which he imposed on requests. So Shostak B.K., Shabuni I.A., Evzikov I.E., Sedlyarsky L.G. were arrested. other.