Tuesday, October 01, 2013

Russia's Gulag in the 21st Century 1: "The Soviet Union has vanished, but the gulag is still alive"


In Russia, says Vladimir Osetchkine, the founder of the website gulagu.net ("No to the Gulag!") to Le Monde's Marie Jégo, "The Soviet Union has vanished, but the gulag is still alive!"
Complain in writing to the conditions of detention and the attitude of the administration is risking trouble. There will inevitably be a conversation with a member of the administration and then he will have to choose between the solitary and "pressure box", ie a cell number, in which there is "yellow" responsible all relate to the administration. They will have to convince the detainee that his complaint has no chance of success.

The name of your website refers to the gulag. Is the comparison relevant? 

The Gulag was designed, down to the smallest detail, to eliminate all forms of human dignity. The USSR is no more, but as for the Gulag, it is still alive. Over 90% of penal colonies originate from the camp system of the Stalin era. On the heating pipes you will see the years 1937, 1946, 1954, everything comes from that time [Stalin was in power from 1924 until his death in 1953]. Same for the "barracks" [inmates' housing] and canteens where 300 people have to eat in 30 minutes.
Needless to say, such information is of no interest to Barack Obama and his followers (foreign and domestic), who want to get pesky foreign policy problems out of the way as quickly as possible, in order to focus on the real problems of the world: those despicable members of the American people who do not realize that Russians, Arabs, and Europeans are all basically kind-hearted and harmless while that their own society is a nightmare which needs the government's remedial intervention as quickly as possible…
 
Se plaindre par écrit des conditions de détention ou de l'attitude de l'administration, c'est risquer les ennuis. Il y aura forcément une conversation avec un membre de l'administration et après il faudra choisir entre le mitard et "la boîte à pression", c'est à dire une cellule à plusieurs, dans laquelle il y a des "jaunes" chargés de tout rapporter à l'administration. Ils devront convaincre le détenu que sa plainte n'a aucune chance d'aboutir.

Le nom de votre site fait référence au goulag. La comparaison est-elle pertinente ?

Le goulag a été conçu jusque dans les moindres détails pour supprimer toute forme de dignité humaine. L'URSS n'est plus, le goulag, lui, est toujours vivant. Plus de 90 % des colonies pénitentiaires viennent du système des camps de l'époque stalinienne. Sur la tuyauterie du chauffage vous verrez toujours écrit 1937, 1946, 1954, tout vient de cette époque [Staline était au pouvoir de 1924 jusqu'à sa mort en 1953]. Pareil pour les "baraques" [logement des détenus] et les cantines où 300 personnes doivent manger en 30 minutes.