Post by The Eshva on Oct 30, 2020 4:22:36 GMT
Sigil of the "Esat"
The State Security Service, formally known as the Ministry for State Security but more famously as the Esat, was the official state security service of Ikirist Ikhan (1937 - 1952). It has been described as one of the most effective organizations within Ikhan during this period, but also it's most repressive as it carried out the duties of an intelligence agency and secret police. The Esat was headquartered in Ikan, with an extensive complex within the Sikeran district and several other facilities throughout the city. It also possessed facilities elsewhere in Ikhan, most notoriously the Jikanti prison in the Feltasi mountains. Varen Kaska was the Esat's longest-serving chief during this period, holding the position for eleven years from 1937 to 1948, though he was purged in 1948 alongside many other party members suspected of being disloyal to the Marshal.
One of the Esat's primary tasks was that of spying on the population, primarily accomplished through a vast network of citizens turned informants, and fighting any opposition by overt and covert measures, including hidden psychological destruction of dissidents. Between 1937 and 1952, it arrested anywhere between 63 and 93 thousand people as political prisoners, with many, many more under near-constant surveillance. Its Directorate for Reconnaissance was responsible for both espionage and covert operations in foreign countries, most notably the Ardian Empire during the Continuation War.
Despite how it is often portrayed in media, the Esat was a largely multiethnic organization, with many Avosai, Nirai, and Lekhisch people working in the organization at it's height.
Numerous Ikirist-era Esat officials were prosecuted for their crimes following the fall of the regime in 1952. Despite this, the files kept on Ikhani citizens remained classified until 1992, after which they were made available to the public so that any citizen could inspect their personal file on request. Despite it's leadership being prosecuted, the Esat continues to exist in the modern day, though it's role as a Secret Police has been abolished since the 70s and now serves as the domestic arm of the Ikhani intelligence community. The records made public are now maintained by the Esat Records Agency.
One of the Esat's primary tasks was that of spying on the population, primarily accomplished through a vast network of citizens turned informants, and fighting any opposition by overt and covert measures, including hidden psychological destruction of dissidents. Between 1937 and 1952, it arrested anywhere between 63 and 93 thousand people as political prisoners, with many, many more under near-constant surveillance. Its Directorate for Reconnaissance was responsible for both espionage and covert operations in foreign countries, most notably the Ardian Empire during the Continuation War.
Despite how it is often portrayed in media, the Esat was a largely multiethnic organization, with many Avosai, Nirai, and Lekhisch people working in the organization at it's height.
Numerous Ikirist-era Esat officials were prosecuted for their crimes following the fall of the regime in 1952. Despite this, the files kept on Ikhani citizens remained classified until 1992, after which they were made available to the public so that any citizen could inspect their personal file on request. Despite it's leadership being prosecuted, the Esat continues to exist in the modern day, though it's role as a Secret Police has been abolished since the 70s and now serves as the domestic arm of the Ikhani intelligence community. The records made public are now maintained by the Esat Records Agency.