Inch He was August 21, 1968, on the day when I heard from the invasion of Warsaw troops in Prague, he became a difficult day. Farewell to the hope of freedom, at least in Czechoslovakia. “Holding Times” began in accordance with the instructions of Brezhnew from Moscow. Censorship in the Eastern Bloc was aggravated to tell about the topic of the Gulag. The KGB, the Soviet secret service, increased the pressure, the dissidents were brutally pursued.
Against this background, the signing of the latest acts Helsinki agreements Absolutely incredible in August 1975. The Council in Helsinki in Finnish took several months. The Soviet side was very interested in signing agreements. This was unofficially mentioned as “three baskets”.
The first basket confirmed the inviolability of borders in Europe, as defined after 1945. The second concerned the expansion of trade and economic relations. But there was also the third basket – humanitarian – which spoke of human rights, freedom of expression of opinions, freedom of movement.
Words on paper
Of course, the third basket caused concerns among members of political posts. But finally it was decided to sign it. It was assumed that there are only words that will remain on paper. But one of the conditions for signing was clearly the publication of the text of the contract.
Irina Sherbakova
The author is a Russian historian and human rights activist. Last book Publication: “Memorial. A reminder of resistance. “
I remember the impression that those who are in the Moscow daily newspaper Pond, The central body of KPDSU has concluded published agreements from the “third basket”. Because in fact they stood: “States of participation will respect human rights and fundamental freedoms, including thoughts, conscience, religious or convinced for everyone without differences in the breed, gender, language or religion.
They will be the effective implementation of civil, political, economic, social, cultural and other rights and freedoms that are all associated with people inherent in people … contribute to them.
KBG was wrong here
Of course, the KGB leadership believed that there were very few dissidents in the country. And that they still could not do anything. But they shifted from each other. Because now the dissidents loudly demanded “freedom” to the whole world, but the correspondence of the obligations that were taken to Helsinki.
In 1976, the dissidents founded Moscow Helsinki. She began to collect and disseminate information about protests and political persecutions in the Soviet Union and spreading them. Helsinki also appeared in Ukraine, Lithuania, Georgia and other countries of Eastern Europe.
The KGB reaction was not long. The stage of solid repression began. However, it was impossible to completely break the movement of Helsinki. New people always took the place of the arrested – and the work continued.
To the fall of the Berlin wall
The new hope for freedom has the beginning of Gorbachev’s power. His proclaimed “new thinking” finally led to the end of the Cold War, to the fall of the Berlin Wall and the liberation of Eastern Europe from communist dictatorships. In 1989, the Helsinki group Moscow was re -founded by dissidents who returned from exile and exile. Helsinki’s words now seemed to have become a reality.
But today, 50 years after their signing, it is bitter to see how far the current Russia has moved away from principles. The humanitarian spirit of Helsinki files is completely expelled from the country.
