HISTORY OF CORRECTIONAL LABOR CAMPS IN ZERENDI DISTRICT OF AKMOLA REGION (1930-1950): BASED ON ORAL SOURCES

Abstract

The article examines the history of correctional labor camps in the Zerendi district of Akmola region in the 30-50s of the XX century. It is known that during this period the territory of the Akmola region became one of the main centers of Stalin's camps, deportations and political exile. During the years of repression, the Karlag and Steplag camp systems spread widely in Kazakhstan, which have their own history of study: after Independence, these camps began to be actively studied by historians, local historians and scientists. In recent years, thanks to the declassification of archival documents, new data on a previously closed topic began to be published, which contributed to the formation of a new perspective on these events. After the release of the Decree of the President of the Republic of Kazakhstan K.-J. K. Tokayev dated November 24, 2020 "On the establishment of the State Commission for the full rehabilitation of victims of political repression", a series of field expeditions to the Zerendi district was organized. During the scientific research, archival documents (the State Archive of the Akmola region), oral narrative sources, as well as data collected during field expeditions were used. As a result of field research in the village of Baratai in the Zerendi district, previously unknown burial sites of prisoners of the Klyuchi camp, as well as the Ozerny camp in the village of Simferopol in the Zerendi district of the Akmola region, were discovered. On November 24, 2021, commemorative plaques were erected at the burial sites in memory of the victims of political repression. In addition, the study identified the preserved buildings of the camps and clarified the data on their locations in the Zerendi district of the Akmola region.