ASTANA – President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev visited the Center for the Study of Materials of Political Repressions of the 20th century during his working trip to the city of Almaty, the Akorda press service reported on May 31.
Tokayev visits the Center for the Study of Materials of Political Repressions of the 20th Century. Photo credit: Akorda.
Tokayev reviewed the conditions for storing documents and the work of the offices to restore and microfilm archival documents. He was also presented with an exposition of materials on the history of political repressions.
The center was opened in 2021 to provide archival support to the State Commission for the Full Rehabilitation of Victims of Political Repressions, which was created by a presidential decree in November 2020.
Archival materials on the history of political repressions of the 1930-1950s from the special archives of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, the National Security Committee, and the Prosecutor General’s Office will be transferred to the center.
resident Tokayev with Mereke Kulkenov. Photo credit: Akorda.
With 1,132,000 files stored in the archives, the center is expected to receive around 715,000 more files. The center works to declassify and restore the documents, therefore enabling further research of the documents and their introduction into the scientific discourse.
A group of historians and employees of the center are preparing a multi-volume book about the events that took place in the 1920-1940s in the Alash Orda, a national autonomous government, aiming to expand the knowledge of Kazakhstan’s political history in the 20th century.
President Tokayev also met with Mereke Kulkenov, Chairman of Kazakhstan’s Union of Writers, to discuss the role of writers in strengthening national unity and shaping common values in the country.
Tokayev emphasized that the union should create truly engaging works, taking into account readers’ interests. The work of young authors deserves special attention, he said, noting that the state will support writers in every possible way.
“The task the literary community faces today is to correspond to the spirit of the contemporary time,” said the President.
