Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-05-04
JUSTICE OF RUSS REDS
VIOLATES EVERY CODE
Sets Up New Legal System Which Denies
Individual Liberty and
Equality.


Continued From First PaEe.l
tn Russia from this vast, i1trically or
gained system Of secret police who are
the eyes and ears of the Kremlin, pos
eessing great arbitrary power and con-
shutting one of the most important
units in the administration OF Soviet
criminal law. The notorious okhrana,
the feared secret police OF Carbon,
that sprawled over all the Russians like
o giant, unseen octopus Of espionage, Is
dead. But It's relentless, spying. soul
lives on in the G.. P. y. The frame
work and methods of the Okhrana be-
came the model for its Red successor,
the Machiavellian TchekA that func-
toned as a revolutionary police tribunal
with terrible power during the first five
years Of Communism. In 1925 the
Tcheka, with slightly modified author
ity, became the G. p. u.
1t is one OF the many ironies Of revo-
luton that the incapable police system
of CZarisf11, that for many centuries dis
patched the thin, endless line Of hope
less men and women over the bleak
SHOWS Of Siberia to die in raw towns of
Arctic Asia, should be employed by the
men who were its victims to hunt out
and sentence the class that first used
the scheme. But that very thing has
occurred. The functions of the @. P. U.
are defined by Stain as "the punitive
organ Of Soviet power, resembling the
Comite du Salut Publique of the French
Revolution. It represents something
like a military political tribunal con-
stituted to protect the revolution against
the assaults Of the counter-revolution
airy bourgeoisie and its agents."
The two most important fields Of
Soviet criminal law are covered by the
q. P. q. as 1t devotes its energies to the
suppression OF counter-revolution and to
economic espionage.
Personnel Carefully Chosen.
The personnel Of this cunning and
over-present organization Is the most
carefully chosen OF any state depart
ment. All members Of the secret police
must be tried and trusted Communists
fired by fanatical zeal to crush the
enemies Of their cause. Many Of the
agents are unknown to any one but the
central executive committee Of the
Communist party and spend their lives
among suspected people, posing as one
Of their number. These police have O
reputation for never making an arrest
until conclusive evidence of guilt Of the
suspect Is in their possession. Then
they strike. The arrest Is made. In
many cases, the @. P. U. can be both
accuser and judge. for it has a court
system of its own that handles many
types Of cases and is invested with the
power to pronounce q death sentence
II 1t does not try the case investigated
1t Is submitted to the state courts.
The police organization which func-
lions in keeping public order and pro-
tecting personal relations does not have
"a AAA -. a
OF the political and economic police
Their ways are less vigorous and crafty.
The everlasting fear Of counter -revolu-
ton which hauf1tS the rulers Of Russia
prevents them from administering their
q. P. q. In the mild way In which the
state police function. For the common
policeman Of Russia Is indeed o novelty
In law enforcement. Many Of the park
police are women. Whether men or
women they are all fluent takers. In
street brawls or fights between irate
neighbors. who have for the moment
forgotten the precepts Of Communism
TO the point where they quarrel over
the right TO first use Of the community
kitchen. the policeman arrives with no
intention Of arresting the participants.
He hears the facts from both sides Of
the contest simultaneously and "a in1Yne-
Astnly a party TO the alteration him.
sell. He expounds the doctrines of
Communism which, he claims. would
nave prevented the fight had they been
adhered to. He explains why both par
ties are wrong.
He Is an educator. For the theory
goes that IL Il better to have people
ooey the law because they want to
DO 50.
I attended o regatta where police
women were handling Q crowd OF thou.
sands. The river bank was lined with
the proletariat In q holiday mood. Be
mind the crowd at the waters edge was
Q row OF newly painted green benches,
enoroitng tempting point Of vantage
from which to view the races. A few
OF the spectators ins the rear ranks
climbed upon the seats, marring the
emerald color. The police girls were
&c once active. They did not abruptly
order she offenders of, but began q
narangue that involved giving all the
reasons why good citizens should not
stand on freshly painted benches.
ProIetariat Joins Argument.
The proletariat, interested in the races
ana reluctant to abandon their posi-
tons which gave them such an excellent
view OF the river, argued with the girls.
Many men and women In the crowd lost
interest IN the regatta and joined with
the police girls in attempting to con-
vince the anti-social people on the
penches that they should get down.
Inc chief arguments employed were
that cultured people do not stand Or,
benches, and that by doing 30 thev
were making. a bad impression on the
nourJut" (whom I represented). The
conclusive and winning contention Ad-
vanceo by the police was that it was A
waste OF labor. For wasting labor has
real meaning TO the class-conscious
worker One group would be eventually
Lalkeo out or their positions on the
penches and would scramble of the
seats. But as soon as they were ZONE 4
new collection would take their places
ana the whole ordeal was gone through
again. I suggested more decisive way
OF keeping the benches clear. but nv
communist interpreter said that arbi-
trary methods would not be education
and 1t was far better to educate the
people by giving them the reasons for
not doing improper things.
But when an arrest Is made and the
accused brought to the bar of Justice
he Is confronted with q court Of pro-
cedure, criminal code and system Of
penology unique In the world today.
Inc court rooms Of modern Russia re-
Meet the stark system of Jurisprudence
that guides their functioning I have
attended sessions of the peoples court
held in large room Of an old apart
ment house In Moscow and similar hear
ngs convened in the courts of Justice
used by the Ron1anoffs in Leningrad.
From these trial chambers all the trap
pings OF the old regime are gone. The
judges bench is plain table hung
with scarlet cloth. A red-draped pic
ture Of Lenin adorns the scaling walls,
and rough benches and wabbly chairs
are scattered around the barren room
The impressive ceremonies that give
dignity to courts Of law are absent.
The procedure is as simple and I'M
embellished by intricate rules of evi-
deY1cA As the rom In dauAid az daaorA-