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Show Trial: A Soviet Lawyer Remembers
| Article
# : |
18341 |
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Section : |
MODERN THOUGHT
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| Issue
Date : |
10 / 1990 |
5,510 Words |
| Author
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Simona Pipko
Simona Pipko, a Soviet lawyer, immigrated to the United States
in 1981. She has written several articles, published in The
International Lawyer and other U.S. publications. She is an
assistant professor currently teaching course on the Soviet
System at the New School for Social Research and at New York
University. |
When they entered my office, I was on the phone. Pointing to the two chairs on the other side of the room, I continued my conversation while subtly looking the two women over. Presently, I hung up.
“What can do for you?”
Neither replied.
The older one fiddled with her gloves, her dark hair and fashionable clothes at odds with the tension on her face. She was embarrassed by something, and instinctively I knew it had nothing to do with whatever had brought her to my office. There was something else, not yet clear to me.
But the girl was different. She was wearing a sport jacket, her blond hair tightly woven into two braids. She gave me the look of a small, cornered animal - a look of fear and hopelessness. In spite of the difference in appearance, they seemed to be mother and daughter. From their expression and posture, it was evident that they were locked in conflict.
It had been a very busy day at our law firm. The hum of whispering people and the clatter of typewriters filled the air of my office, which was partitioned by walls that did not quite reach the ceiling. Through the open door I saw lawyers moving in and out of the library. My visitors remained silent as I closed the door.
“Don't you recognize me, Simona Davidovna?” asked the mother. “I was a representative of the city board of education at the Laptev trial when you defended him. Do you remember the
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