Traitor of the Motherland family members ( Russian : ЧСИР : члены семьи изменника Родины ) was a term in Article 58 of Criminal Code of RSFSR about criminal prosecution of wives and children ( kin punishment ) of all people who were arrested and convicted as " traitors of the Motherland " in the Soviet Union during Stalinist purges of 1930s and later . The practice of automatically convicting wives and children was a base element of the Great Purge . It introduced a new category of the inmates designated for the family members of the person who was recognized as the " Traitor of Motherland " ; some Soviet labor camps were designated specifically to this category
Stalinist purges of 1930s
Great Purge
Family members of traitors to the Motherland