ELI5: Explain Like I'm 5

Family members of traitors to the Motherland

When someone does something that their country doesn't like or breaks important rules, they may be called a "traitor to the motherland." This person usually faces punishment for their behavior, which can be very serious.

When someone is found to be a traitor to the motherland, this can also affect their family members. These family members may face punishment, too, even if they didn't do anything wrong themselves.

For example, imagine that one person in a family did something bad that made their country angry. Even though the other members of the family didn't know what was going on or didn't do anything wrong themselves, they may be watched closely or even punished because of their connection to the traitor.

This can be very scary and unfair for the family members. But sometimes, countries believe that punishing the families of traitors will help discourage people from doing bad things in the future.