Society of Former Political Prisoners and Exiled Settlers

The Society of Former Political Prisoners and Exiled Settlers (, OBPKiS) was a public organization in the Soviet Union between 1921–1935, that worked to record the history of imprisonment under the Tsarist regime and aid former political prisoners.

History The Society was founded by Pavel Maslov (born 1890), Dmitry Novomirsky, and others.Mark Junge "Society of Former Political Prisoners and Exiled Settlers, 1921-1935", Moscow, 2015, p. 77 The opening took place in Moscow in the House of Unions on March 12, 1921.Mark Junge "Society of Former Political Prisoners and Exiled Settlers, 1921-1935", Moscow, 2015, p. 46

In 1921, OBPKiS had 200 members. Among them were prominent participants in the revolutionary movement, like Vladimir Vilensky (Sibiryakov), Vera Figner, Lev Deich, Nikolai Tyutchev, Felix Kon, Mikhail Frolenko, Anna Yakimova-Dikovskaya, Alexander Pribylev, Anna Pribyleva-Korba, Fedor Petrov, Vadim Bystryansky, Nikolai Skrypnik, Ivan Theodorovich, Vladimir Zhdanov. OBPKiS was led by the Council. From 1924, the Society transformed into an all-Union organization; in 1928, it had over 50 branches. Its members delivered reports and lectures to workers, students, and Red Army soldiers. In 1924, 1925, 1928, and 1931, all-union congresses of society took place.

In 1926, the Society founded a museum with a library and archive. With the Society of Old Bolsheviks, OBPKiS created the International Red Aid (1922).

Former political prisoners rested in the Mikhailovskoye estate, which belonged to Sergey Sheremetev before the revolution. Today, the Mikhailovskoye sanatorium is located at the estate.

Just before OBPKiS was disbanded, the House of Political Prisoners on Revolution Square was built for them in Leningrad.

The Society was disbanded in 1935. During the Great Purge, 130 former members of OBPKiS were executed, and another 90 were sent to forced labour camps. The last chairman of the society was Alexander Andreyev.

Activities OBPKiS provided material assistance to former political convicts and exiled settlers, organized lectures and reports, collected, stored, studied and published materials on the history of the imperial prison, penal servitude and exile.

The Society published the magazines Hard Labour and Exile () and the Bulletin of the Central Council of the All-Union Society of Former Political Prisoners and Exiled Settlers (), as well as the series Historical and Revolutionary Library and Classics of the Revolutionary Thought of the Pre-Marxist Period. Compositions and materials were also published on the life and work of Alexander Herzen, Nikolay Chernyshevsky, Nikolay Dobrolyubov, Mikhail Bakunin, Pyotr Tkachev, and Figner; five volumes of the bio-bibliographic dictionary Figures of the Revolutionary Movement in Russia; and memoirs and documents about the Decembrists, Narodism, the labor movement, the royal prison, penal servitude, and exile.

Criticism Figner, one of the oldest political prisoners in Tsarist Russia, wrote in response to a proposal to join the OBPKiS after its reorganization due to the increasing role of the Bolsheviks:Mark Junge "Society of Former Political Prisoners and Exiled Settlers, 1921-1935", Moscow, 2015, p. 442

However, on page 664 of the 1934 edition of the Biographical Directory of Society Members,Political Penal Servitude and Exile: Biographical Directory of Members of the Society of Political Prisoners and Exiled Settlers – Moscow: All-Union Society of Political Prisoners and Exiled Settlers, 1934 – 878 Pages Figner is listed as a member of OBPKiS with ticket №2901.

Society of Former Political Prisoners and Exiled Settlers

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