Not criminal files of condemned to death are the most terrible, but letters of "common working people"

ANATOLI PRISTAVKIN,

Chairman of Russian Federation President's Committee on questions of pardon

"The state represented by its "apparatchiks" is subjected to influence, connections, prejudices, selfish motivations like all people, and assumes the right to carry out the most terrible and irreparable act of deprivation of life. Such a state can not expect any improvement of moral atmosphere in the country. I repudiate that the idea of death penalty has any essential and restraining influence on potential criminals. I am convinced that the truth is the opposite, wildness engenders only wildness."

Those words were said by the academician Andrei Dmitrievich Sakharov, grandson of Ivan Nikolajevich Sakharov who was elected to Second State Duma and who has compiled the collection "Against Death Penalty" at the beginning of that century.

At the same time the draft law on abolition of death penalty was developed and adopted by deputies of First Duma unanimously. It is not their fault that the law has not become a standard of Russian life at the beginning of the century. Present Duma would not even allow a discussion of such a draft law. Other customs now, they say, and the country that has experienced bloody bolshevism can not think yet of any life without shooting. However, it would be good to submit a proposal of death penalties' moratorium to the present Duma, just against the common spirits, just to teach a lesson: maybe, somebody would be touched, maybe, would be pushed to reflections or doubts, I would not expect more.

Meanwhile, this is the result: 21 thousand people were executed from 1962 till 1990. This makes 730 executions a year, while during almost a hundred years of "damned tsarism" (1826 - 1906) only 170 people were executed. Two men a year!

Once he said: "Of what kind is the state that knows not better remedy to protect itself than executioner and that proclaims its own cruelty to be the total law!?" Who said those words? Karl Marx. If only the bolsheviks would have followed their teacher!

"EXPECTATIONS OF THE PEOPLE"

But forget about the state. I turn to Sakharov's words, where delusions of the state were compared to delusions of all people, united with them in one purpose -- in eagerness to execute, to kill other people. Believe me, the most terrible thing in all cases is that we, members of the Russian Federation President's Committee on pardon have to read, especially in cases of sentenced to death, are not their crimes, although they are so horrible, that I cannot sleep at night. The most terrible are letters of working people, still influenced by the old cliche, but also letters without any influence and very sincere, written sometimes with an innocent hand of a child and still demanding death penalty. Some time ago the whole school (more than a hundred signatures) has mailed a letter with a request to kill, to shoot one of "bloody criminals", as they write. Not a shade of doubt darkened their childish souls enjoying the right to resolve somebody's fate with a murder. Why schoolchildren!? Even teachers write like th

at: "In spite of it is customary to appeal to mercy nowadays, we demand the just requital, and that is the execution." The requital is certainly the execution. The idea of mercy is condemned in advance. They write thereafter: "We are responsible for morality of people. What should we tell children concerning "mercy" to a murderer who is sentenced only to 15 years?" It seems too less for them.

Here is another letter. The author is simply a worker. "You should realize not your personal ambition, but expectations of the people. While expectations of the people [pay attention to the language of old newspapers of the Central Committee.-- A. P.] are that 100 per cent of criminals should be shot. Then those vampires' desire to kill our people will pass." One may ask who kills our people if not our people themselves? He writes thereafter: "For the time being we should clear the country of cruelty with cruelty. I was a prisoner, so I know the psychology of murderers and robbers. The capital punishment is ninety per cent of success of fight against the foul, while your retort concerning imprisonment for life is only the loss for the people and the country."

Now the imprisonment for life exists, therefore above was the example of criticism of that innovation. Executions are of course not losses: the cost of life, as many consider, is the cost of a bullet. Meanwhile, Americans have calculated that one must spend one and a half million dollars to execute a man, and only one million to hold him in prison for life.

But we do not calculate, we assume the cost of a bullet. The worker has finished his letter with words: "I would vote for Zhirinovski if he would suggest executions." There are many such letters, a great number of them. I suppose, somebody of their authors will follow Zhirinovski for sure, because he also suggests (everybody who has read "Izvestia" newspaper recently knows that) to shoot criminals without any trial and investigation.

EXECUTIONERS AND MURDERERS

The appeal to our Committee below must be an apotheosis of people's self-expression: "I appeal to you with a request. Being in my right mind, I suggest myself to be an executioner. Believe me, I'm not a maniac and I love children, I have five myself. I am ready to do that necessary work for their good." This is followed by address for the appropriate department in case if the author would be required as an executioner. Meanwhile, even executioners at the Nurnberg trial, the just trial, have concealed their names diffidently. But we are not ashamed, we do not hide, but ask to be executioners. Well, for children's good, on behalf of their happy future exactly those executors were doing necessary work during recent times of Stalin, that is, they were shooting at innocent citizens. So, they are ready for that today.

The perverted consciousness of the people finds reasons of its misfortune in those who dare to call for mercy. It seems to me, that the Lord has stroke people of that country with madness and indifference to themselves. While reading about numerous criminal cases at the Committee sittings, so called "everyday cases", I use to be affected by refinement and senselessness of endless murders not by inveterate criminals or recidivists, but by the most common people, by those workers and peasants who write those letters.

Here is the picture of statistics. According to sociologists Galinski and Afanasiev, citizens' interrogations in Sanct Peterburg and in other cities of Russia tell us that the overwhelming majority of interrogated (95 - 100 per cent), by their own confession, have committed criminally punishable acts, that is, crimes in their life. Think of that, a hundred per cent of the population! Who should enlighten, who should help people to realize that pernicious cruelty, the very wildness that engenders wildness in such a criminal country? Thus, an examining magistrate from Irkutsk, Kitajev by name, feels nothing but satisfaction after sending forty people to die. I quote: "Absolutely no nightmares. I sleep tight." Exactly that he sleeps tight is scaring. A normal man could not sleep tight even after reading that. But he goes on: "As a adherent of severe measures, I find that we definitely can not harm society by shooting ten or fifteen thousand dregs." One of the most popular newspapers has published that confessio

n recently on the whole page. And suddenly you think: if not Sakharov and Likhachov have become heralds of morality, but examining magistrates and voluntary executioners, why should we be surprised that one wildness has engendered another and there's no way out?

"TIGHTEN REINS OF POWER"

Here is the question. People suffer of preponderance of well-organized gangs, of mafia, of assassins. Sounds of shots clang on streets of Moscow city. But we execute common "everyday criminals". No mafiozi, no case of any "godfather" came to our Committee. I stress: none during two years! Thus, we shoot at people of the lowest, the least protected social class of all, people whom we have made drunk and perverted during 70 years and whom we have lead to the brutish condition. We can not protect ourselves legally. We inspire scared inhabitants with conviction, that struggle against criminality is on, just more shooting, and everything will be OK. But that lie is refuted by new crimes, new skirmishes and hostages, and that is infinite.

Here I would like to quote "Boris Godunov" by Pushkin. Boris Godunov advises his son who is ascending the throne: "Today I should have restored disgraces and executions. You may abolish them, and they will bless you... As the time passes, you tighten reins of power little by little." Is it possible that soon we will come to that too? That is the straight way towards GULAG, that is partially alive in modern camps and even in deserted ones. The life is glimmering there, and the barbed wire is safe, and jailers are ready to start their work just now like that homebred executioner. What should we trust to? How should we live?

They said before: "No village lives without a righteous man." Russia does not live without Sakharov, without Solzhenitsin, without Rostropovich, without Likhachov and others. Let them be small in number and victimized by the former system, let them be defiled, slandered and defamed or thrown out of the boundaries of the Motherland, but they are here, they are with us, so not everything is lost. So it is still possible to believe that our people is not a dead duck, that we shall revive not only with bread, but with soul, mainly with soul, that is distorted now so, that it is deaf and blind and immersed in the dark, but still alive. Still alive.

Translated into English by A. Prishchenko 31.08.94