Why they were imprisoned in the Soviet Union: five absurd reasons

  • Dec 14, 2020
 In the USSR, karate was taught clandestinely / Photo: pinterest.ru.
In the USSR, karate was taught clandestinely / Photo: pinterest.ru

In 1981, the country's youth without exception became interested in karate. It was then that the article of the Criminal Code of the RSFSR appeared. Training in this Japanese martial art was punishable by up to five years in prison. Only one person was convicted of it - Valery Gusev, a well-known trainer who teaches his students underground in forest parks for a fee. The trial was a showcase.

It is worth noting that a couple of years before this event, in 1979, an action movie entitled "Pirates of the XX century" was released at the official level. Spectators could witness with their own eyes some of the techniques of this martial art. But after a short time, the concept of government was completely changed. Karate has come to be seen as a struggle that cultivates violence and brutality. The media began to regularly publish articles about how traumatic this sport is.

Reception in karate / Photo: karate.ru.
Reception in karate / Photo: karate.ru

It is believed that the authorities were afraid of the alleged consequences. Pupils in sports clubs that cultivate devotion and reverence for teachers can become out of control. And this is the organization of gangs in the streets, protests and rebellion. Paid-type sections were not welcomed for another reason - teachers (trainers) received a source of unearned income. There is information that in Poland in 1981 it was the karateka who took part in the Solidarity strikes.

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This ban did not last long. It was filmed in 1989, at the very beginning of Perestroika.

2. Parasitism

In the Soviet Union, everyone had to work / Photo: twitter.com

Every Soviet citizen was obliged to live and work for the good and development of the state. Lazy people and lazy people who shied away from useful social labor or lived on illegal incomes were severely punished under Article 209 of the RSFSR Criminal Code (imprisonment).

This category included not only alcoholics, but also decent people of creative professions - musicians, poets, artists. Builders working on covens, gardeners and truck farmers, taxi drivers working privately also got here. Under Andropov, real raids were carried out in shops and other public places during working hours in order to identify such loafers.

Viktor Tsoi / Photo: svadba1000.ru

It is interesting! Viktor Tsoi - the idol of the 80s, a popular performer, was officially employed in the boiler room. So he could protect himself and what he was doing.

This article was also used in relation to those who were not politically pleasing. It was for her that Joseph Brodsky (poet) was attracted. It was canceled only in 1991.

3. Speculation

The speculators were threatened with jail / Photo: nochvmuzee.ru

In the USSR, unearned income was considered the main principle of entrepreneurial activity, market relations, which consisted in "bought cheap - sold dear". Consequently, it was regarded as one of the types of crime.
We remember that in the Soviet Union, a total shortage was extended to all groups of goods, from food products to clothing, dishes, books, and perfumery. Even vinyl records were in short supply. Therefore, imported goods were in price and in great demand. In this regard, a number of citizens took risks. Using the mediation of diplomats, business travelers, sailors, they gradually traded in scarce goods. Moreover, the population was not averse to paying twice as much. The main thing is to stand out from the crowd. It was impossible to get such things in our department stores.

Fartsovschikov was imprisoned for 7 years / Photo: shaytanka.ru

Despite the veiled meetings and conspiracy, the farcers were sometimes tracked down, detained and tried under Article 154 of the RSFSR Criminal Code. The punishment was imprisonment for up to seven years.

Those who were engaged in foreign exchange transactions fell into a special risk zone. Even those people who had this very currency in their hands could be convicted under Art. 88. For this type of speculation, one could get, as in the case of the Rokotov case, the highest measure. In this way, the USSR fought against prostitutes in Intourists, buyers of goods from foreigners, dudes.

The penalty for speculation was abolished in 1991, and the legalization of foreign exchange transactions three years later - in 1994.

4. Same sex love

Unconventional relationships were punishable by law / Photo: dkhlak.com

Since the 1930s, Article 121 has been in effect in the USSR Criminal Code. According to her, supporters of same-sex relationships were punished with imprisonment for up to five years. Only men were condemned for it. Women of gay orientation were sent to psychiatric hospitals for compulsory treatment.
More than 1000 people were judged under this article in the 70s every year. Most of them were famous representatives of the creative professions - pianists, singers, directors. To avoid persecution at home, many fled to the West.

For same-sex love, women were sent to a psychiatric hospital / Photo: flickr.com

There were cases when dissidents who did not agree with political beliefs and dogmas were tried under the article. One of the most famous can be called Sergei Parajanov. Moreover, the KGB kept lists of representatives of non-traditional orientation. The information was used to blackmail people. The police also supported, though tacitly, gangster attacks on the "gay".
Nevertheless, in most of the socialist countries, for example, in Czechoslovakia and Poland, such relations were not included in the category of criminal ones. Only in 1993 this article of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation was canceled.

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5. Watching adult films

The first household video recorder / Photo: yandex.ua

In the Soviet Union, at the very beginning of the eighties, video tape recorders appeared, as well as products of the foreign film industry on videotapes. But not all films were allowed to be watched. For a violation, an ordinary person could go to jail for three years (Art. 228 of the Criminal Code of the RSFSR). Experts of the USSR recognized the paintings "Hot Chewing Gum", "Greek Fig Tree", "Night Porter" obscene and banned their viewing. They were believed to corrupt the youth.

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Not all films could be watched in the USSR / Photo: ok.ru

Many remember the night raids organized at night by the police in tandem with the militiamen. Groups with a list of prohibited video products identified in which house and apartment the blue light flickered at night, cut off the electricity at the entrance on the shield and broke into the room. The aim is to remove a cassette stuck in a VCR. This was direct evidence.

Thousands of teachers, gynecologists, engineers, WWII veterans were punished for such views by the mid-eighties. In 1988, the article was no longer applied. But the most interesting thing is that then, as "The Godfather" began to be shown in cinemas, there were those who continued to sit behind bars for watching this film.

Today, in order to buy jeans, you no longer need to turn to the merchants - they are available in any store. Read, how to solve the problem if jeans rub between the legs.
A source:
https://novate.ru/blogs/230220/53535/