The sentences doled out to the Japanese perpetrators were unusually lenient by Soviet standards, and all of the defendants returned to Japan by 1956.[111]

In addition to the accusations of propaganda, the US also asserted that the trials served as a distraction from the Soviet treatment of several hundred thousand Japanese prisoners of war; meanwhile, the USSR asserted that the US had given the Japanese diplomatic leniency in exchange for information about their human experimentation. However, it is likely that former Unit 731 members had also passed information about their biological experimentation to the Soviet government in exchange for judicial leniency.[111] The Soviet Union built a biological weapons facility in Sverdlovsk using documentation captured from Unit 731 in Manchuria.[112]

[–] Shareni@programming.dev -1 points 2 months ago (1 children)

Chief trial translator Georgy Permyakov alleged that Soviet leader Joseph Stalin may have initially feared that Japan would execute Soviet prisoners of war if the Khabarovsk defendants were hanged.[10]

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Khabarovsk_war_crimes_trials

7 years in the Gulag VS complete immunity, sealing/destruction of evidence that could lead to their persecution, and a stipend on top

I know what side they'd want to be captured by...

[–] PugJesus@lemmy.world 3 points 2 months ago (1 children)

Soviets rushing to cover as much land in order to hang everyone involved for crimes against humanity

This you?

While twelve Unit 731 researchers arrested by Soviet forces were tried at the December 1949 Khabarovsk war crimes trials, they were sentenced only to the Siberian labor camp from two to 25 years, seemingly in exchange for the information they held.

All of the defendants (aside from one who died in prison and another who committed suicide) had been freed by 1956, a mere seven years after the trial took place.

This your source?

[–] Shareni@programming.dev 0 points 2 months ago

Ok that's my bad, the allies were hanging Japanese, not the Soviets themselves.

The point still stands though about USA saving them from hanging...

Due to U.S. government intervention, the trials did not charge imperial Japanese leaders who may have been responsible for Unit 731.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/International_Military_Tribunal_for_the_Far_East#Defendants