Soviets Refuse to Prosecute Overzealous Investigators

The Soviet Parliament rejected a call for criminal proceedings against two corruption investigators today, 24 hours after 10,000 demonstrators rallied outside the Kremlin to express their support for the two men.

The Supreme Soviet turned down an appeal by the prosecutor-general to remove parliamentary immunity for Telman Gdlyan and Nikolai Ivanov, who became almost folk heroes for their six-year investigation of senior officials in Central Asia.

But, according to an account of the parliamentary debate given by the official Tass press agency, deputies also agreed to the dismissal of the two men from their investigative posts.

In an impassioned debate, Gdlyan and Ivanov were alleged to have used force against witnesses--driving some suspects to suicide--detained relatives of witnesses, and allowed bribe-takers to go unpunished in exchange for information.

Deputies demanded the dismissal of officials who had failed to rein in Gdlyan and Ivanov and called for an investigation of the misdeeds of former Soviet leaders, Tass said.

“It was proposed that the prosecutor’s office, Interior Ministry, KGB and Supreme Court adopt measures concerning the investigation of persons in leading positions whose activity especially generated public disquiet,” the news agency said.

A resolution warned the two investigators that further “groundless” statements that threaten to destabilize the country will lead to their parliamentary immunity being lifted.