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Mercy amid Terror? The Role of Amnesties during Russia's Civil War

“…26 The same occurred in Siberia, whilst elsewhere the authorities in Arkhangel'sk did adopt Petrograd's amnesty. 27 Narkomiust was livid: a dubious amnesty was spreading and, equally worryingly, local authorities were acting independently just as the state was trying to strengthen control from Moscow. On 6 June, responding to the Siberian proposal, Narkomiust stated that only the central authorities could issue amnesties.…”

Revolutionary tribunals and the origins of terror in early Soviet Russia*

“…Stenographers, in particular, were scarce and expensive to employ. 62 It may also represent the fact that some investigations never made it to a trial. Some collapsed through lack of evidence, while a later amnesty, discussed below, led to some cases being closed.…”

“…The local justice official responded that the amnesty had only released around fifteen people, most of whom were reaching the end of their sentences. 102 This was incorrect; the archives demonstrate that the amnesty was widely invoked. Whereas the loose definition of what constituted a political crime had helped to convict individuals involved in a wide range of activities, it now worked in their favour.…”

“…The Commissariat of Justice tried to prevent these, but struggled to exert control, even with the help of central directives. 106 Generally, sentences rarely matched the harshness of the accusations, an impression reinforced by evidence from the provinces. Some provincial tribunals had rules on sentencing that were at odds with official decrees.…”