Crimes Against Humanity by Adam Jones

Author:Adam Jones
Language: eng
Format: mobi
ISBN: 9781780741468
Publisher: Oneworld Publications (trade)
Published: 2012-10-29T00:00:00+00:00

In terms of absolute numbers of prisoners, the Gulag system peaked in the post-World War II era. As part of the ‘destalinization’ process following the dictator’s death, it was rapidly downscaled, and most remaining (political) prisoners were released. Ever since, ‘gulag’ has served as a generic term for an extensive prison network where the rule of law is absent. It has become a byword for the arbitrary imprisonment practices of dictatorial states – and democratic ones, when activists seek to tar them with the brush of totalitarian practice.

Even after the dismantling of the Gulag, the Soviet prison system remained one of the most brutal in the world. The trend continues in the post-communist period. Russia’s may be the world’s most murderous prison system: According to François Bonnet, ‘every year almost 10,000 prisoners die as a result of malnutrition, overcrowded conditions, or diseases contracted in prison, especially tuberculosis.’ The country additionally incarcerates a higher proportion of its population than any other country (though only slightly more than the US – see below).

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