Kazakhstan’s State Commission for the Full Rehabilitation of Victims of Political Repressions has rehabilitated over 311,000 victims, as per the Astana Times. The announcement was made by State Counselor Erlan Karin at the commission’s final meeting on December 26, 2023.
Formation of Commission
The commission was formed following a presidential decree signed on November 24, 2020. It has since undertaken systematic and comprehensive work towards the rehabilitation of victims of mass political repression that occurred during the 1920s-1950s under the Soviet regime.
Research and rehabilitation efforts
The commission focuses on research, search operations, and analytical summaries. It has a dedicated project office comprising scientists, researchers, and government representatives. Three thematic research groups were established to address various categories of victims, while local commissions for rehabilitating victims of political repression were instituted in all regions across the country.
Over 425 scientists, researchers, and experts, with over 260 of them engaged in regional commissions, conducted extensive research in more than 60 state and departmental archives nationwide.
“Over the past period, more than 2.6 mn documents and materials have been declassified,” Karin noted.
Documentation and publication
To scientifically document the research findings, 72 volumes of collections of materials from the commission have been prepared for publication.
Future prospects
Looking forward, the Center for the Study of Materials of Political Repression of the 20th Century, established in 2021 under the directive of President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, will continue research activities. Over two years, the centre received approximately 688,000 cases and around 48,000 personal records of individuals who faced repression have been transferred to the centre from special state archives.
The centre will continue its systematic efforts to digitize documents related to political repression during the 1920s-50s. It aims to create electronic archives accessible to scholars, researchers, and the public.
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