Happy twist in criminal case against Moscow activists of the Left Bloc. The inscription on the banner: "Happy Chekist Day!" (i.e. Russian political police).
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Anarchist Lev Skoryakin and communist Ruslan Abasov were arrested in December 2021 because of a banner against political repression on the gate of the FSB headquarters and a smoke bomb allegedly thrown into the building. For almost 7 months, the guys were kept in a pre-trial detention center, where Ruslan almost died in hospital: at first he was not provided with medical care due to meningitis and lasted until brain inflammation and respiratory arrest; then kept in intensive care in handcuffs. However, the main witness for the prosecution, 16-year-old Umar, mysteriously disappeared, and in the middle of summer both guys were released on bail.
In mid-October, Ruslan was evacuated to a neutral country, then Lev. We became aware of this two days ago. Now both of them are safe and intend to obtain political asylum to continue their struggle. Alas, we cannot disclose the details of the transfer for safety reasons.
Ruslan Abasov
In an interview given shortly after their release from prison, they said, in part, the following:
"They wrote a lot. And, curiously, they wrote in waves. It is clear that most of the letters came in late February - early March, when there was a resonance. Of course, it was very pleasant to read, it warmed the soul. You understand that you are not in vain "You're doing these activist things, you didn't suffer in vain. Someone respects you for this, someone remembers, supports you. You understand that you are not the only one left alone with the system among people who do not understand all this and consider it stupid."
The letters very well raise the culture of serving political prisoners in general. We, within the framework of Russian political circles, must move to the fact that we must have a clear understanding of what we are doing and what the possible consequences are for this. When there is a fascist dictatorship in the country, it is very difficult and dangerous to engage in politics. A lot of people are now in politics, and there will be even more, unfortunately. I think everyone understands this very well. And for this reason, a culture of mutual assistance should be developed in opposition circles. Whether you are a liberal, a social democrat, a communist, an anarchist, people need to understand what to do when they or their comrades go to jail. They should know how to help themselves and their loved ones more effectively and with minimal risks. What should be done first and how to do it.
Lev Skoryakin
We must not just talk, we must do. And in fact, nothing so outstanding is required of us, because these things are quite legitimate, and they do not carry anything bad in themselves. We must create mutual aid structures. First of all, mutual aid funds. If this is not a general fund, then every political organization and movement in Russia should have its own funds, in which people try to collect a mutual benefit fund in case one of their comrades ends up in prison. The creation of such funds will actually give us a powerful leap in the development of the political protest movement in Russia. It’s just that at the moment I don’t notice any significant phenomena in this direction. And I hope that work will be carried out in this regard, and qualitative improvements will appear soon.
And we must not forget that regardless of political position, a person should not go to jail for their political views. It doesn't matter who he is, a liberal, a communist, we must help everyone who finds himself in such a difficult situation simply because he thinks one way or another, speaks one way or another. In a country, in human society in general, there should be such a thing as freedom of thought. That is, there should be no thought-crime in the country."
Meanwhile, Ruslan was put on the wanted list and his case was separated into a separate proceeding. The investigation works quickly, not even a year has passed. Well, let them search now...
At the same time, you may be interested in our detailed analysis of how trench warfare is shaping the revolutionary situation in Russia.
In addition, you are welcome to learn from this recent material how the continuation of Ukrainian general mobilization in 2023 strengthen social control on the other side of the front line.
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