THE THEME OF CAMPS IN ALMAS ILDIRIM’S IN A.ILDIRIMʼS EMIGRANCY PERIOD PUBLICISM

Abstract

A certain part of Almas Ildırım’s written legacy from his emigration period consists of journa-listic works. In our research, two of these writings –―Savage Death Camps‖ and ―Would You Like to Be a Slave?...” – have been analyzed and evaluated for the first time. These articles vividly de-pict the system of ―labor camps‖ established by the Soviet state, as well as the methods of operation of the institutions known as Cheka and GPU – the unimaginable oppression, torture, and terror they spread. Throughout the article, brief references and relevant comparisons are also made to the works of other immigrant authors who addressed the same topic. A. Ildırım seeks to convey that the Soviet state was not a humanist one, as was often preached and instilled in people’s minds. Its true nature is revealed precisely through the repressions it carried out, through the horrifying events that occurred daily in the so-called ―labor camps‖, which in fact functioned as death machines. In conclusion, it is established that the writings on the camp theme by A. Ildırım, other im-migrant authors, and even foreign writers all aim to expose the anti-human essence of the Bolshevik dictatorship and to show the world that this regime’s punitive system was directed not toward refor-ming individuals, but toward their annihilation.