Since we seem to be into literature these days, take this as a mouthful. All 99% facts.
Paragraph 58 is the most infamous paragraph of the Soviet Criminal Code, in the 1920-1950 Stalinist period. On charges based on this paragraph, *millions* of people were sentenced to hard work in Siberia, and other work camps, were most of them died, and thousands were shot without trial, or died after torturing. That includes over 80 000 Estonians (out of 1 200 000 in the 1940) who were ruthlessly captured and taken to Siberia in 1941 and 1948.
Paragraph 58 consisted of 14 articles.
Article 1: Any action bent on weakinening Soviet Power is to be considered counter-revolutionary, and to be punished with either 10 years of hard labour, or death. This includes treachery, conspiring for treachery, and based on similar analogies.
IN OTHER WORDS: Being unable to work in camps, due to malnutrition, insomnia, and hypertonia is an action bent on weakening soviet power, and you will be shot on sight. Of course, if you were a Soviet Soldier, who was taken captive by the Allies during WW1, getting 10 years of hard labour was unspeakably humane. By the law, you should have been shot.
Article 2: Armed mutiny, seizing power with the intention of violently attacking a part of the Soviet Union.
IN OTHER WORDS: Any kind of attempt to break free from the Soviet Union, or even THINKING of breaking free, which means, Estonians, Latvians, Lithuanians, got their 10-25 years easily.
Article 3: Helping a country at war with the Soviet Union in any way.
Well, if you lived in an occupied part of the USSR, and, say gave a sack of carrots to a German soldier - shot without trial. Fell in love with a German soldier, danced with him, made love to him - enlightened his morale, 25 years.
Article 6: Espionage, Shot without trial, for actual espionage, 25 years for cooperation in espionage, 10 years for being suspected in espionage.
WHICH MEANS that if your wife´s relative´s friend went to the same hairdresser as a foreign diplomat, you were guilty for having connections with spies, and got 25 years.
Article 10: Propaganda, agitation or any action that might work as a call to destroy or weaken the USSR, are to be given at least 10 years (notice, no upper limit).
Of course, that could have been any conversation with a friend, a relative, your wife, that was held privately, any thought that differed from the ones presented in today´s newspaper (because if you didn´t agree with Stalin, you were obviously weaking the USSR. Who´s not with us, is against us).
Article 11: If any crime, mentioned before involves a hostile organisation, then maximum punishment for all involved is recommended.
That, of course meant anything. If two people were discussing the flaws of the USSR, then that was an hostile organisation - 25 years.
