ALZHIR Camp
Concentration Camp For 'Wives Of Traitors To The Motherland'
ALZHIR was the detention camp of the Akmola area (Astana region) “for the wives of the betrayers of the homeland”. This was the Stalinist Gulag for wives and children of political prisoners who were considered traitors. The wives were simply recognised as guilty as their husbands by the connection. The memorial complex is located 40 km west of Astana at Malinovka and was opened in 2007. In the outdoor area, there is also a Memorial to the Victims of Political Repression.
The camp was in operation from the 1930s until the early 1950s. It was one of the most famous camps in central Kazakhstan primarily because it had some high-profile prisoners, including artists and actresses.
Established in 1937, it was part of the Stalinist purges and specifically targeted women, often wives, mothers, or sisters of men accused of being “enemies of the people.” These women were imprisoned solely based on their familial ties, without any evidence of personal wrongdoing.
Over its operation, more than 18,000 women from across the Soviet Union were detained at ALZHIR. Approximately 8,000 served full sentences, enduring harsh conditions, forced labor, and separation from their children. The camp was notorious for its severe climate, inadequate shelter, and the psychological trauma inflicted upon its inmates.
The camp was located in the harsh climate of the Kazakh steppe, where prisoners faced extreme cold, inadequate shelter, and forced labour. Galina Stepanova-Klyuchnikova, one of the first inmates, described in her notes arriving at the adobe barracks filled with women from various regions, all with shaved heads, appearing frightened and disoriented. She was sentenced to five years of forced labour simply because her husband had been arrested.
In 2007, Kazakhstan inaugurated the ALZHIR Museum and Memorial Complex at the former camp site to honour the victims of political repression. The complex includes preserved barracks, monuments like the “Arch of Sorrow,” and exhibits detailing the lives and stories of the imprisoned women. It serves as a poignant reminder of the atrocities committed during the Soviet era and stands as a testament to the resilience of those who suffered.
For more detailed information, you can follow Kazakhstan’s Concentration Camp For ‘Wives Of Traitors To The Motherland. The webpage of the The ALZHIR Museum and Memorial Complex.
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Page updated 13.5.2025