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This article introduced the formal notion of the enemy of workers: those subject to articles 58-2 — 58-13 (those under 58-1 were "traitors", 58-14 were "saboteurs"). Penal codes of other republics of Soviet Union also had articles of similar nature.
Note: In this section, the phraseology of article 58 is given in quotes.
The article covered the following offenses.
58-1: Definition of counter-revolutionary activity. It was not limited to anti-Soviet acts: by "international solidarity of workers", any other "worker's state" was protected by this article.
The article led to the imprisonment of many innocents, regardless of their position in society, even academics, including Alexander Solzhenitsyn, who would write about his experience as a "Fifty Eighter" in his novels (chiefly The First CircleThe First Circle is a novel by Alexander Solzhenitsyn, the title of which is based on a quotation from Dante. It describes three or so days in the life of the Mavrino prison camp along with its occupants, most of whom are scientists or other academics who).
Sentences were long, up to 25 years, and frequently extended indefinitely without trial or consultation. Inmates under Article 58 were known as "politichesky" (полити́ческий), as opposed to common criminals, "ugolovnik" (уголо́вник). Upon release, the prisoner would typically be sent into an exile within RussiaThe Russian Federation ( Russian: , transliteration: Rossiyskaya Federatsiya or Rossijskaja Federacija , or Russia (Russian: , transliteration: Rossiya or Rossija , is a country that stretches over a vast expanse of eastern Europe and northern Asia. With without the right to settle closer than 100 km from large cities.
Section 10 of Article 58 made "propaganda and agitation against the Soviet Union" a triable offence, whilst section 12 allowed for onlookers to be prosecuted for not reporting instances of section 10. In effect, Article 58 was carte blanche for the secret police to arrestChicago Police Department arrest a man An arrest is the action of police or other authority, or even in some circumstances a private civilian, to apprehend and take under guard a person who is suspected of committing a crime. The term is Frankish in origi and imprison anyone deemed suspicious, making for its use as a political weapon. A person could be framed: The latter would arrange an "anti-Soviet" incident in the person's presence and then try the person for it. If the person pleaded innocence, not having reported the incident would also make them liable to imprisonment.
During and after World War IIWorld War II was the most extensive and costly armed conflict in the history of the world, involving the great majority of the world's nations, being fought simultaneously in several major theatres, and costing tens of millions of lives. The war was fough, Article 58 was used to imprison many returned Soviet prisoners of war on the grounds that their capture and detainment by the Axis Powers during the war was proof that they did not fight to the death and were therefore anti-Soviet.