Public condemnation
People daring to criticize the regime or deviate from officially established ideological norms were subjected to devastating accusations of “anti-Soviet” sentiment and criticism in the press. For instance, disgraced writers were criticized at writers’ association meetings. The most ardent oppositionists could be labeled “enemies of the people,” leaving an imprint on their destiny and the fate of their families.
Public condemnation often became the first step to repressions, bans on printing, exile, and death sentences, especially during the Stalinist repression of the 1930s. Some of the embattled authors saved themselves by performing public repentance, which consequently undermined their credibility among like-minded people. In 1947, poet Mykola Bazhan was forced to join the literary and political persecution of author Yurii Yanovsky, who was not only a writer but also Bazhan’s close friend. Bazhan’s mother refused to forgive her son for this.