The article examines the meaning of the word “lustration”, its meaning is analyzed and relevant examples are given from the history of Russian politics.
Politics
In the process of development of any civilized modern society, various political and social movements inevitably arise in it. At all times, this has been the cause of many civil wars, disasters and simply unstable situations. Even in those states where there is a clear one-party system and free-thinking is not allowed, there are always those who are not satisfied with the existing political system and alignment of forces.
But sometimes it happens that the whole system changes dramatically, for example, as a result of a revolution or something else. And then such measures as lustration often come into effect. The meaning of the word “lustration” we will analyze in this article.
Definition
The word “lustration” itself comes from the Latin lustratio, which literally means “purification through sacrifice”. However, in practice, everything is not so gloomy. If we consider the examples of the post-communist countries of Europe, Russia and other CIS countries, then these are special laws and practice, according to which people who are objectionable to the ruling party of the country for political reasons are not allowed in the civil service, power structures and other important posts of government. Typically, individuals who previously were associated with the repressive structures of the former political regime are ranked as such. So now we know what lustration is.
Also, the aforementioned laws usually cover all persons who were involved in crimes in the field of human rights violations, war crimes and generally related to the power or propaganda structures of the previous government. It is understood that lustration itself is obliged to show the legitimacy and strength of the new managerial apparatus. He breaks all ties and analogies with the previous government, thereby recognizing it as criminal. This is the meaning of the word lustration.
Similar processes took place most actively in those countries of Europe that freed themselves from fascist enslavement and the generally cruel political system. But in the same countries of Latin America at the time, few underwent lustration. Usually, everything ended with the so-called process of national reconciliation.
So, we have analyzed the meaning of the word "lustration."
Practice in the history of Russia
If we talk about our country in the period from the beginning of the collapse of the USSR, then in the ruling circles the possibility of lustration according to the model that was used in eastern Europe was considered. The meaning of these proposals was to limit in the near future the organizers and participants of the former totalitarian communist policy in public and, especially, political activity. Simply put, the meaning of the word “lustration” was to prevent former active communists, KGB workers and others from holding posts that give at least some power at any social level.
However, proposals of this kind of legislative and official force have not been received. The only and still the last measure in post-Soviet Russia was the law according to which victims of various political repressions of October 18, 1991 were rehabilitated. This bill implied that all employees of law enforcement agencies who participated in the consideration of cases of political repression should be prosecuted. But, despite the fact that information about those workers who were allegedly guilty of falsifying evidence and sentences appeared periodically in the press, in practice, no measures were taken against them, except for isolated cases. So we examined the question of what lustration in Russia is.
Ukraine
However, this word was most often found in the media precisely due to political events that began with the so-called Euromaidan.
In 2014, one of the demands of the opposition and the participants in Euromaidan was just the question of lustration of many current officials and other persons holding posts in public and law enforcement agencies. Later, when the opposition won, a lustration committee was created. He developed a draft law, the meaning of which was to purify the apparatus of power. And already on September 16, 2014 this law was adopted at one of the meetings of the Verkhovna Rada. So we figured out what the word “lustration” means, and examined its example in modern realities.
Later, according to the statement of Prime Minister Yatsenyuk, almost a million officials, law enforcement officials and other civil servants fall under the new lustration law. Also, checks should be made on those who supported the actions of Russia on the annexation of Crimea and the separation of the eastern regions of Ukraine.
Conclusion
True, at the moment, lustration in the same Ukraine is often arbitrary. There are frequent cases when representatives of various nationalist movements themselves decided who no longer has the right to hold public office under the new regime. All this ended with skirmishes and frankly hooligan antics.
So, now we know what lustration is.