Yuliya Lynch
Perm Regional Himan Rights Center
Perm, Russia
See here for photos
After the Conference, we all (about 100 people) went to the museum: Perm-36, in the village Kuchino, about two hours from the city. We took a bus, some guests took taxi. We arrived in the afternoon. The guide met us at the entrance and showed us where the bathroom was. I had to say that even with a terrible smell; the ladies room had running water, which is an exception in the villages. So, out excursion started.
Perm-36 is a unique museum, which is no less than a repaired former political camp that had a name Perm-36. The camp was active until 1990s. The people, who were sent to the camp were called “ismenniki rodinu”, which means that they betrayed their country. They might have said something negative about the government, read not approved books, or practiced religion. In the museum, we saw cells, tools of torture, kitchen, the old clothes, photos, documents, isolation cells, etc.
Guide told us that the prisoners were severely undernourished and one form of punishment was to reduce already little portions of food. The other torture was to put a prisoner in an isolated cell for up to 15 days with a little sunlight and no right for a walk. On the other hand, the reward was a walk under the sun or work next to a heater during the long cold winter.
The museum contained proof from somewhat forgotten political repression. I even met a former prisoner of this camp. He said that they did a good job in reproducing the prison.
“Pilorama”
After the excursion, some participants of the conference stayed for the citizens’ forum “Pilorama”. This is an annual two days event that is located in the village Kuchino next to the museum. Most of the people live in tents. During the day there were debates in the territory of the museum, political cinema and theater. During the evening and night there were some rock concerts and movie showing.
I came to the “Pilorama” because I wanted to listen to the debates. I was able to visit seven debates:”20 Years Later, Europe and the World”, “Privatization of Perm. 90s. 20 Years Later”, “What is “we”-multinational nation of the Russian Federation today?”, “20 Years Later After USSR. Losses and findings”, “Europeans museums of Holocaust. 20 Years Later”, “My personal restructuring: where have I been in August of 1991 and where I am now”, “Shtazi”. I, also, watched a movie called “Is Stalin with us?” I stayed only one night and one day. I did not stay Sunday because the weather was very bad and the conditions of living were unbearable.
About the debates. They all were interesting, some of them were in the form of presentation, during the others participants were arguing and expressing their opinions. I liked the most the debates “What is “we”-multinational nation of the Russian Federation today?” and “Europeans museums of Holocaust. 20 Years Later”. The Ombudsman of the Russian Federation, Vladimir Lukin, said that Russians should respect other nations and the minorities should be able to celebrate their events and traditions. During the presentation “Europeans museums of Holocaust. 20 Years Later”, I learned that German people still fell the guilt after the repressing the Jewish people. Germans show the history to the world and acknowledge their deep regret. The discussions were very informative, although, the questions from the audience were not allowed.
The documentary “Is Stalin with us?” surprised me because it showed that some people still believe that when Stalin was a leader, people lived better and there was a proper order of things. There was no alcoholism, homosexuality, everybody had work, and everyone knew what to do. One teacher said that Stalin is her “God” and that she follows his advice. I guess, some people liked the way things were, but I, probably, would not be able to live in that world. Today, we are free minded and have control of our lives.
As I mentioned, I liked the idea of debates and an organization of citizens’ event. However, the living conditions were horrible. I didn’t mind living in tents, but it was only one restroom with running water, which worked only for a couple of hours on Friday. After that we had to use restroom outside, 10 minutes from our tent; there was always a long line. There was no place to wash hands, so we used wipes. The weather was very cold and it was raining not stop. But this is not the worst part. Most people came to “Pilorama” to drink. So, some were screaming, drinking, and lighting the fire until 8am. The drinking and fires were prohibited on the territory of the forum, however, the police didn’t stop anyone. I could not sleep and I feared for my safety. Well, but this is how it is done in Russia. Idea is good, but the implementation is not so great.