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Prof.AdamCzarnota
FacultyofLaw
,UniversityofNewSouthWales,Sydney,Australia
TRANSITIONALJUSTICE,
THEPOST-COMMUNISTPOST-POLICESTATE
ANDTHELOSERSANDWINNERS.
ANOVERVIEWOFTHEPROBLEM
Recentlywewitnessexplosionof‘transitionaljusticeindustry)
1
itmeansoverpro-
ductionofscholarlypapersandbookdevotedtotheproblemof‘dealingwiththe
past)
.InthispaperIwanttoclarifyfromsocio-legalpointofviewsomeoftheissues
connectedwithtransitionaljusticeinpost-communisttransformation.
Somesortsofinstitutionalandpersonalcontinuitiesandlegaciesareamongthe
expectedresultsof‘regimechange)anywhereexceptinthemostbrutalofcircum-
stances,andprobablyeventheretoo.However,oneofthemostinterestingapproaches
andpotentialspheresofsocialresearchinrelationtotransformationofpost-commu-
nism,hastodowithaspecificelementoftheinstitutionalstructureofthecommu-
niststate:theplaceofthesecretpoliceandmachineryofsurveillanceofcommunist
societies.Thisunresolvedsatisfactorymatterdeterminedtheshapeandqualityof
thedemocraticregimesinallpost-communistcountries2.
Thesecretpolicehauntsthememoryofpost-communistcitizensafter19years
sincethetransferofpower.Itssignificance,pervasivenessandscaleofoperations
wereunparalleledinanyotherpoliticalformationknown,andonsomeviewsithas
bequeathedlegaciesofprofound,ifcharacteristicallyhidden,significanceinthepost-
communistpresent.Oneapproachtopost-communismistoinvestigatewhetherand
ifsohowthismostcentralofcommunistinstitutionshascometoinfluencethecre-
ationofthepost-communistinstitutionalstructure.
19yearsafterthecollapseofcommunism,theproblemofthe‘files)stillexistsand
playsarole,particularlybeforeparliamentaryelections.PeopleintheWestlearnt,
forexample,fromTimothyGartonAsh)s,TheFile3oftheEastGermanStasiandits
archives,togetherwiththeinfiltrationofthewholeofthesocietywithitsagents.
Theso-calledGauckCommissionpresidesoveronehundredandfortykilometres
offiles,notwithstandingthataportionweresystematicallydestroyedinthelastdays
ofcommunismintheformerGermanDemocraticRepublic.Nodoubts,itwilltake
manyyearstofullycomprehendtheactivitiesandroleofsecretservicesofthemost
significantinstitutioninthecommunist‘prerogativestate)
.
1
Seeforinstance,ElsterJon,(2006),ClosingtheBook,CambridgeUniversityPressandChandraLe-
khaSriram,TransitionalJustioceComesofAges,BerkeleyJopurnalofInternationallawvol.23(2005)
bibliographythere.
2SeeElster,Jon;Offe,Claus;Preuss,Ulrich(1998),InstitutionalDesigninPost-communistSocieties,
CambridgeUniversityPress,Cambridge.
3GartonAsh,Timothy(1997),TheFile.APersonalHistory,Vintage,NewYork.
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