A Prisoner Of Russia

Press, Volume XCIX, Issue 29270, 30 July 1960, Page 3

A Prisoner Of Russia

Beria’s Gardens. By Unto ParvilahtL Hutchinson. 286 pp. We take a lot for granted in our daily lives. We seldom stop to consider how precious are our fundamental rights—of habeas corpus, freedom of speech and writing, and the inviolability and sanctity of our homes. We cannot imagine life without them. Yet so long as any form of dictatorship exists on this earth, these rights will always be in jeopardy, for they are the very negation of dictatorship and therefore a constant threat (silent and inactive) to its existence. It amazes us to learn that in 1945 the Russians held 45 million political and other prisoners, 15 millions of whom were non-Russian. The author of this book is a Finn who was arrested (without warrant) by, his Communist, countrymen in 1944—after the Finnish-Russian armistice—and handed over to the Russians. He was never charged or tried, although "interrogated” for fnonths. After 10 years’ imprisonment, during which he suffered terrible hardships, he returned to the West. He writes with a detached, matter-of-fact style which is all the more incredible after his harrowing experiences. A sharp eye, a lively mind, an excellent memory, and (great wonder) a good sense of humour have all helped him to produce this fantastic record. It teems with the tales of his co-prison-ers—all of them, like him, torn from their homes without warning, never charged with and never tried for any crime, the endless interrogations being apparently designed to try to find at least something (anything) in their lives which oould be used as an excuse for their arrest and detention. Anyone with a feeling of trust or confidence in the ultimate good of communism should read this book.