"There were no dissidents then in the USSR because they were all killed"

In this quote, Natan Sharansky, a Soviet dissident and human rights activist, is reviewing the lack of dissent in the USSR during his time there. He specifies that there were no dissidents, or individuals who honestly opposed the federal government, because they were all killed. This declaration highlights the extreme procedures taken by the Soviet federal government to reduce any type of dissent or opposition. It also sheds light on the harmful and overbearing environment that existed in the USSR, where speaking out versus the government might lead to jail time or even death. Sharansky's words work as a pointer of the significance of liberty of speech and the effects of living in a society where it is not permitted.