Cheka II WW2
One of the pillars of power in the USSR was a special repressive structure, popularly known as a check. It was established by the Bolsheviks shortly after the establishment of their power in Russia in December 1917. An all-Russian emergency commission was set up to search for and physically combat Bolshevik opponents. The name of the commission in Russian - Vserossijskaya Črezvichainaya The commission was abbreviated - Czech. This created a name for the entire repressive system in later years, regardless of how its official name changed.
On June 17, 1940, together with the regular USSR troops, special units of the internal troops entered Latvia and began operating as a check. It operated in Latvia until 1991 and is responsible for the death, physical and moral suffering of thousands of Latvian citizens.
The operation of the check in Latvia is closely related to the building on the corner of Brīvības and Stabu streets. Reconstruction of the institution began shortly after the occupation began in September 1940. He was imprisoned there, interrogated, and in 1940-41. also killed Latvian citizens, who were considered opponents of the occupation regime. In 1940 and 1941, at least 3355 political criminal cases were initiated. Many detainees were later found in mass graves in Baltezers, Babīte, Dreiliņi, Stopiņi, as well as in the courtyard of Rīga Central Prison. At the end of the war with Germany, at the end of June 1941, Chekists took about 3,600 political prisoners to USSR prisons. In general, the political persecution of 1940-41 Around 26,000 Latvians were directly affected in.
The fighting against opponents of the Soviet power continued after World War II, and was mainly directed against the Latvian national partisans and members of the anti-Soviet resistance movement. An investigation took place in the corner house in the post-war years, but executions took place in Riga Central Prison. The Czech way of operating changed slightly after Stalin's death in 1953. Physical torture was replaced by psychological.
In later years, when resistance to the Soviet regime was effectively suppressed, physical repression was rare, but the check still controlled society and kept it in the grip of fear. The methods of operation of the check in Latvia have not been studied in detail and completely due to the lack of documents. In Latvia, investigation files and check cards for freelance agents are kept, but employee lists and service files are located in Russia. They are not available to Latvian authorities and researchers.
More information sources
Latvian Occupation Museum / What was a check? Available: http://okupacijasmuzejs.lv/lv/apmekle/izstade-cekas-vesture-latvija/kas-bija-ceka/ [accessed 06.05.2021]
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