Legal grounds for the rehabilitation of the victims of soviet totalitarism in the 1950s

Purpose. The purpose of the publication is to establish the number of victims of Soviet totalitarianism, as well as to characterize the social and legal conditions of the process of rehabilitation of repressed persons in the 1950s. Methods. The methodological basis of the research was a set of principles of historicism, objectivity, as well as general scientific, special scientific and philosophical methods. Results. It was established that the process of rehabilitation of victims of mass repressions had no specific legal prerequisites, it was an exclusively politically determined action aimed on the one hand at the elimination of opponents in the process of the struggle for power after the death of J.Stalin. The historical prerequisites of rehabilitation are determined by a long-term and systematic government policy aimed at physical restriction and liquidation of certain categories of people who were accused of «political crimes». It was established that the first attempt at rehabilitation, which took place in 1939-1940s, was a selective amnesty for certain categories of persons who were serving sentences. At the same time, this amnesty did not apply to Ukrainians serving sentences for political crimes. The real process of rehabilitation began after the death of J.Stalin in 1953. From a legal point of view, the rehabilitation was half-hearted. Legally, the majority of persons who were amnestied in the 1950s became rehabilitated only after 30-40 or more years. Originality. Statistical information on the number of victims of Stalinist repressions is given, and legal approaches to the rehabilitation of victims in the 1950s are also analyzed. Practical significance. The results of the research can be used for the preparation of lectures and special courses on the history of the state and law, popularization of the historical past, preservation of historical memory and condemnation of the actions of Soviet leaders.