On September 4, 1985, Ukrainian poet and human rights defender Vasyl Stus died in the Soviet labor camp Perm-36. He was 47 years old. His death became a symbol of the ruthless pressure exerted on political prisoners in the USSR — and at the same time, a testament to the unbreakable will and enduring power of the written word.
A life dedicated to truth and justice
Vasyl Stus was born on January 6, 1938, in the village of Rakhnivka, Cherkasy region. He became known as a poet, translator, and civic activist who consistently opposed political repression and human rights violations.
In 1972, he was arrested for “anti-Soviet agitation and propaganda” and sentenced to five years in prison. After his release in 1979, Stus resumed his human rights work and was arrested again in 1980. This time, the sentence was harsher: 10 years in a strict-regime labor camp followed by 5 years of internal exile.
Perm-36 was one of the toughest Soviet prison camps for political dissidents, where writers, activists, and human rights defenders were held in brutal conditions. Even there, Stus continued to write, capturing in verse both his inner struggle and the broader tragedy of his generation.
Words that defied silence
One of Stus’s poems reflects the loneliness and quiet defiance that defined his life behind bars:
O my God! What sorrow I endure,
and boundless is my solitude.
My homeland — gone. My cautious eye
gropes the road between the voids.
This is my path — return, or not.
This is my path — the world’s edge, my only guide.Forgive me, wife. Forgive me, son.
Mother — do not curse my fate.
I go away. Shalom. At random,I go away, weary of rage…
Vasyl Stus died in the punishment cell of Perm-36 under unclear circumstances. In one of his last messages to his son, he wrote lines that became a moral testament:
How good it is that I do not fear death,
nor ask if my cross is heavy.
That before you, my judges, I do not bow
in anticipation of unknown miles.
That I lived, I loved, and kept myself unstained,
free of hatred, curses, and repentance.
My people, I shall return to you once more,
and in death I shall rise into life…
Recognition and legacy
After the collapse of the Soviet Union, Vasyl Stus was posthumously rehabilitated. In 2005, he was awarded the title Hero of Ukraine. His name has since become synonymous with the struggle for freedom of expression and human dignity.
Today, his memory lives not only in schoolbooks and official memorials but also in poetry readings, cultural events, and online initiatives. The Stus Center in Ukraine preserves and digitizes his works, ensuring that future generations encounter the voice of a poet who refused to be silenced.
The Virtual Museum of Political Repressions “Perm-36” continues its work despite difficult circumstances, preserving the memory of Stus and of all those who suffered or died for their beliefs. On the 40th anniversary of his death, Ukraine and many countries abroad hold readings of his poetry, exhibitions, and lectures on the dissident movement.
The enduring voice
Vasyl Stus remains a vital example of how courage and the written word can stand against a repressive system — even when the price is life itself. His poems continue to speak for him: a voice that could not be silenced.
“Forbidden” — a feature film about Vasyl Stus (2019).
