Open Archives

From Unian.info:
"Rada opens access to archives of repressive bodies of USSR"

The Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine on Thursday approved a government bill opening up access to the archives of repressive bodies of the communist totalitarian regime of 1917-1991, according to an UNIAN correspondent. The corresponding decision, No. 2540, was supported by 261 MPs out of 320 registered in the session hall.According to the law, the repressive bodies include the All-Russian Extraordinary Commission for Combating Counter-Revolution and Sabotage, the Ukrainian Extraordinary Commission for Combating Counter-Revolution, speculation, sabotage and malfeasance, the Supreme Court, the Supreme Court of Cassation, and the Supreme Cassation Tribunal. According to the law, the state guarantees the right of everyone to have access to archival information of the repressive bodies. The state is to provide for the digitization of archival information of the repressive bodies and is to take measures to allow for the search for and retrieval of archival information of the named repressive bodies that is stored in the relevant institutions of foreign countries.

^ This shows that the Ukraine is truly trying to move to full democracy even when they are fighting a war. It is the first I have heard of any former Soviet Republic opening up their Soviet archives  - especially the ones dealing with the more repressive departments. Keeping these kinds of archives secret and hidden usually means you have something to hide or want to try and rewrite history, but that doesn't seem to be the case with the Ukraine. ^

http://www.unian.info/politics/1065580-rada-opens-access-to-archives-of-repressive-bodies-of-ussr.html