Today, May 31, is the Day of Remembrance of Politically Repressed Citizens and Famine Victims. Celebrating this dark day in Kazakhstan began before the collapse of the Soviet Union. However, it has been called official since 1997.
Based on historical data, the total number of people convicted on political charges in the entire Union in the period from 1921 to 1954 reached 3 million 777 thousands. Among them, 642 thousand people were severely punished.
11 institutions of the system of general management of camps and places of detention worked in the territory of Kazakhstan. Akmola camp (ALGERIA), Karaganda correctional labor camp (Karlag), Dalniy, Stepnoi, Peschany, Kamyshlag, Aktobe, Zhezkazgan camp, Petropavl camp, Kingir and Uskemen camp of women traitors to the motherland have become historical museums today.
Temirgali Arshabekov, the head of the Karaganda regional archive for scientific and technical documentation, historian Temirgali Arshabekov, told about the current state of the political camps, which aimed to turn thousands of people who were accused of being "enemies of the people" and "betrayers of the motherland" into a non-resisting, silent submissive crowd. .
