V. I. Lenin

Source: ru:PSS/v36; en:CW/CW27;es:MT
Translated: machine translation (DeepSeek) from the Russian; AI-translated.

1. TO THE MEMBERS OF THE BOARD OF THE COMMISSARIAT OF JUSTICE, AND A COPY TO THE CHAIRMAN OF THE CENTRAL EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE

The decree on the Soviet tribunals is, in my opinion, entirely wrong and must be radically revised.

It is wrong to abolish the decree on the press tribunals{80} without first summarising (and discussing) the results of their work.

It is wrong to institute the office of a single “tribune” outside the Board of the Commissariat of Justice. This is something like the worst precedents of a “Procurator-General”.

Instead of devoting attention to reforms of institutions, petty or almost verbal reforms (“tribune”), attention should be devoted to the practical results of the work of the Board of Justice in the matter of creating a court that is really revolutionary, swift, and ruthlessly severe towards counter-revolutionaries, hooligans, idlers and disorganisers.

March 30, 1918.

2. DRAFT DECISION OF THE COUNCIL OF PEOPLE’S COMMISSARS

The Council of People’s Commissars instructs the Commissariat of Justice to revise the draft decree on the tribunals in the direction of abolishing the single “tribune” and of concentrating the centre of gravity not on petty changes in the institutions set up since October 1917, but on the practical results of the work of creating courts that are really swift and really revolutionary and ruthless towards counter-revolutionaries, bribe-takers, disorganisers and violators of discipline.

The revised draft is to be printed and submitted to the Central Executive Committee.