We, Russian political prisoners, appeal to all world leaders who are not indifferent to the suffering of people persecuted for their beliefs.

There are at least 10,000 of us Russian political prisoners and Ukrainian civilian hostages in today's Russia. We are being punished for one thing: our civic stance.

In today's Russia, concepts such as justice and impartiality do not exist. Anyone who dares to think critically risks ending up behind bars.

Repressive legislation aimed at suppressing any expression of dissent has been systematically tightened since 2012. At least 50 repressive laws were adopted in 2018-2022, and more than 60 more after February 24, 2022. Not a single acquittal has been handed down in politically motivated cases in Russia. Punishments are becoming increasingly harsh – sentences of 10, 15 or 20 years in prison no longer surprise anyone. The State Duma has repeatedly called for the reinstatement of the death penalty.

The chances of a fair hearing of these cases by Russian courts were already slim. However, after 2022, when Russia stopped implementing the decision of the European Court of Human Rights, they have completely disappeared.

Human rights institutions in today’s Russia have been completely replaced by bodies that only pretend to do so. The result is a threat to the health and lives of prisoners – cases of torture and coercion are usually not investigated or punished. Political prisoners are often held in stricter conditions, without the possibility of parole or a relaxation of the regime. More and more often, new criminal proceedings are initiated against political prisoners based solely on the denunciations of fellow prisoners.

Yet we have not lost our voice, nor have we disappeared. We have maintained a civic stance that we consider important to express.

We call on both sides of the negotiations between Russia and Ukraine to immediately exchange prisoners of war and civilians on the principle of “all for all” – including Ukrainian civilian hostages.

We call for the immediate and unconditional release of sick political prisoners who are dying in Russian prisons.

We count on politicians from different countries to create conditions for the release of all those facing persecution for political reasons in Russia.

We call on the world media to break their silence and report on the activities of Russian citizens who continue to risk their lives in the fight for freedom and democracy.

We call on politicians from democratic countries to support the struggle of Russian citizens for freedom and adopt resolutions on behalf of parliaments, political movements and parties.

Only together can we bring closer the arrival of freedom and peace.

The letter was signed by St. Petersburg activist Darya Kozyreva (one of those to whom our exhibition Putin's Cage is dedicated), former Moscow deputy Alexei Gorinov, student from Novosibirsk Anna Archipova, businessman Vladimir Domnin, sociologist and publicist Boris Kagarlitsky, activists Dmitry Pchelintsev, Ilya Shakursky, Andrey Trofimov, politician Alexander Shestun, poet Artem Kamardin and mathematician Azat Miftahov.

According to Sergey Davidis, head of the project “Support for Political Prisoners. Memorial”, the demand for the release of political prisoners as part of the peace talks between Russia and Ukraine has been heard for a long time: “This is one of the key points of the international human rights campaign People First. The Memorial organization has been systematically striving for the release of all political prisoners for many years. This new appeal, signed by the prisoners themselves, adds weight and urgency to this demand. We therefore fully support it and call for its dissemination.”
The Gulag.cz and Memorial organizations will present the People First campaign in Prague this fall. We will bring you all the details soon.