pravda gazeta
Protests led by Russian civil rights activist
A peaceful protest in Pushkin Square, Moscow led by Russian civil rights activist Alexander Yesenin-Volpin aimed to persuade the Soviet authorities to grant public access to the controversial Daniel-Sinyavsky trial. With reference to the Article 111 of the revised Code of Criminal Procedure which stated that judicial hearings should be conducted in public. Will the Soviet government grant this request from the protestors?
A significant power outage in Pripyat, Ukraine
The Chernobyl Power Plant is the major source of power in the region. Pre-reports found out that there were no disruptions in power output at Chernobyl. There were speculations that the Chernobyl Power Plant had caused the power outage, but the Soviet Union had yet to confirm the cause of the outage. Civilians were then spotted witnessing an explosion at the Chernobyl Power Plant. Families, workers and residents living next to the power plant were seen rushing to seek shelter. The Soviet government has yet to issue a statement.
Glasnost’s role
“Glasnost”, coined by Mikhail Gorbachev as a term representing transparency, has become a point of debate in today’s 1985 Presidium of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR) committee session. Glasnost is considered a medium to the start of enhanced freedom by many ministers of the Politburo. Quoting Procurator General, Alexander Rekunkov: “Our court hearings are vital to us sustaining the upkeep of the sentencing of criminals, political or otherwise,” In accordance with the protests, making the hearing public will help to mitigate the public’s craving for justice which in this case, fulfils the purpose of the justice system. However, as to all things, there is another light we have to look at.
What can Glasnost mean to everyone?
We have covered how Glasnost is a tool for freedom. Many ministers have highlighted in today’s debate that Glasnost can reduce the centralised power of the Politburo, shattering the fragile fabric of the communist society under the current circumstances. It can also allow more direct foreign influence, especially from countries such as the United States of America, over domestic matters. This may lead to the downfall of the sovereignty of the USSR which is something that we should dread for the future of our comrades!
Future of Glasnost
Weighing the impacts of Glasnost, how much benefits will it bring to citizens, and how much will the Soviet government benefit from this? With everyone having a different perspective and stance towards the extent of Glasnost, will the Politburo satisfy the public with their form of Glasnost, the truth, a lie, a half-lie, or a half-truth?
References
Crisis Committee Dais. (2021, June 7). Advisory Committee to the General Secretary. https://smun2021crisis.tumblr.com/