СФАЛЬСИФІКОВАНІ ЕЛЕМЕНТИ КРИМІНАЛЬНОЇ СПРАВИ 1935 Р. СВЯЩЕННИКА ЧЕРНІГІВСЬКОЇ ЄПАРХІЇ ГЕОРГІЯ МИХАЙЛОВИЧА КОНОШЕВИЧА

Abstract

The article provides basic biographical information about the life and activities of the priest Georgy Mykhailovych Konoshevich. The illegal punishment served by him in 1932 was analyzed. The main source base of the research is the materials of the criminal case of the priest in 1935. The events covered in the criminal case took place in the territory of the Chernihiv region in the 1920s and 1930s. It was during this period that the clergy suffered from constant restrictions and persecution by the Soviet authorities. It should be noted that in the specified period there were changes in the administrative and territorial boundaries of Chernihiv Oblast. In particular, from the end of the XIX century. Until 1923, in the geographical names we indicate Novgorod-Siversky District of Chernihiv Province, from 1923 to 1932 we use Novgorod-Siverskyi, later Glukhivsky District of Chernihiv Province, and from 1932 Novgorod-Siversky District of Chernihiv Region. The historical value of the above case is that the original criminal case was lost. In connection with the beginning of the open armed aggression of the Russian Federation against Ukraine on February 24, 2022, the building where the archive was stored was completely destroyed. Currently, we have kept scanned copies of the case, which were made long before the beginning of the aggression. We are publishing the case materials for the first time. In order to establish the priest’s biographical data and identify all the fabricated elements, we used: phenomenological, biographical approaches and a critical method of analysis. The article presents information about the work of researchers who studied similar criminal cases. The priest’s biographical data was established using the analysis of the arrested person’s questionnaire. It was not possible to establish only the year of the priest’s death, since after his imprisonment his further fate was not covered in historical sources. The main attention in the article is given to the protocols of interrogations of witnesses and the priest, as well as quotes from the protocols. In the study, scientifically substantiated elements of falsification of the case are given. A comparative analysis of the defendant’s signature at the beginning of the case and in the interrogation protocol was conducted, which may indicate the fact of possible use of physical or psychological pressure by NKVD employees. The article quotes from the cassation appeal of the defendant, in which he gave full explanations regarding his actions and the testimony of fellow villagers. In the conclusions, we note that the case is completely fabricated, and the long prison term is unjustified and caused by religious persecution.