Regional fund for victims of political repression closes the doors
For more than a quarter of a century, the foundation Pokayanie (Repentance) worked for the preservation of memory of political repression in the Komi Republic. Now, there is no more money to support this kind of activity, the organisation says.
The charitable foundation for victims of political repression Pokayanie (Repentance) in the Komi Republic has ceased its operations. This happened immediately after the release of the last, 15th, publication on the history of repression in the north Russian region.
The reason for the closure of the foundation was the lack of funding, as stated in a press release from the Institute of Language, Literature and History of the Komi Science Centre. The last volume of the publication - a martyrology - was dedicated to the history of the Vorkuta correctional labour camp. It was published with the support of the Foundation for the Commemoration of Victims of Political Repression. Previous martyrologies were funded by the state.
The regional foundation was established on the initiative of the first head of the Komi Republic, Yuri Spiridonov, in 1999. In the period 2022—2023, the Foundation did not receive any funding from the republican budget.
The work with the publication did not get any funding, and letters regarding the situation with the foundation and the martyrology, sent to representatives of the authorities and the public, have remained without official response,”
— states the press release.
The chairman of the foundation, Doctor of Historical Sciences Igor Zherebtsov noted that over the years the organisation has done a tremendous amount of work. In addition to the martyrology, the foundation has published educational materials for universities and books on the history of political repression, organised scientific conferences and symposiums, and also helped people find information about relatives who were repressed.
“After the liquidation of the Pokayanie, there will be no one to engage in this,” the statement reads.
The Barents Observer called the acting head of the Komi Republic, Rostislav Goldstein, for a comment on the situation. Upon hearing the question about the Pokayanie, Goldstein hung up the phone.
Russian authorities are consistently destroying the memory of political repressions. For instance, the historical and educational society Memorial was liquidated in February 2022, immediately after the start of the full-scale invasion of Ukraine. At the regional level, officials either hinder people who are engaged in the history of repressions or directly rewrite the history, as Barents Observer has repeatedly reported. In the region of Karelia, victims of Finnish occupation were 'attributed' to the burial site of repression victims. And in Syktyvkar, Komi Republic, in October 2024, the city hall gave only half an hour for a memorial event for the victims of repressions; the organisers were threatened that if they did not agree to these conditions, the event would be banned altogether.
The Republic of Komi was site for massive political repression and thousands of victims of Soviet terror suffered and were killed in the region.
