Brussels, July 31, 2001.
Dear Comrades,
On the 1th of August, the Committee for the Defence of Political Prisoners -
Fighters for Socialism will organise a meeting at the Ministry of Justice in
Moscow. This Committee was formed in Moscow in February 1999 by
representatives of several communist parties of Russia, including RCWP
(V.Tiulkin), CPBSU (N.Andreeva), RPK (A.Kriutchkov), CPSU-L.S. (V.Anpilov).
It will take the defence of the political prisoners Raks, Sokolova,
Romanova, Sokolov, Biriukov and Danilov. Most of them are members of the
communist youth organisation Komsomol.
By falsified trials against these young people, the Putin regime wants to
eliminate every really communist organisation in Russia.
Enclosed in this e-mail, you find the letter , which is handed over to the
Embassy of the Russian Federation in Brussels on the first of August.
We invite you to take steps towards the Embassy of the Russian Federation of
your country, and to send a copy of your letter to
the accused (their addresses are mentioned at the end of the letter
enclosed)
the Ministry of Justice, Vorontsovo Pole N� 4, Moscow, Russia
the Committee for the Defence of Political Prisoners- Fighters for Socialism
(e-mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED])
125167 Moscow, Russia
Ul. Planetnaya, dom 26, corpse 3, kv. 70
With our communist greetings,
Jean Pestieau
International Section
Workers' Party of Belgium
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
Brussels, 1.8.2001
To the Ambassador of the
Russian Federation in Belgium
78, rue Robert Jones
Brussels
Dear Mister Ambassador,
By this letter we want to express our deep concern about the condition of
the political prisoners in your country, Russia. They are
Nadezhda Raks, arrested on the 23th of February 2000
Tatiana Sokolova, arrested on the 3th of March 2000
Larisa Romanova, arrested on the 6th of March 2000
Andrei Sokolov, arrested on the 20th of June 2000
Alexander Biriyukov, arrested on the 10th of July 1999
Alexander Danilov, arrested on the 2th of March 2001.
This prisoners deny the accusations against them of terrorism and illegal
possession of arms and explosives, and confirm their innocence. Their
defenders claim that the accusations were not based upon material evidence.
They state that a campaign of intimidation and repression is going on
against young people, who belong to various opposition movements, are
devoted to the socialist ideas, take part in strikes and picket lines, and
are waging a political struggle against the catastrophic consequences of
capitalist reforms in the country.
The respected newspaper "Obshaya Gazeta" wrote in his 23th edition of 2001
that one wants to "justify the expansion of the apparatus of the secret
services and educate the youth in the idea that it is dangerous to adhere to
so-called marginal organisations". We receive messages that the number of
arrests rises, that more and more people are locked up in isolation cells
and psychically and physically tortured during the inquiry, while there is a
wide gap between the penal provision and the facts people are accused of.
So Andrei Sokolov was condemned to 5,5 years of prison for cartridges and a
pistol, found by the militia in clothing they gave him after he was
arrested. They also said to have found explosives in the apartment, in which
he already lived no more since three months. During the process, the
prosecutor failed to show the objects, which had to serve as material proof
of the accusations.
Alexander Biriukov was treated even more cruelly. He was not allowed to be
defended by himself or by a defender from a social organisation. He was said
to be "mentally ill". On this base, a process was held in secret, and then
he has been locked up in a psychiatric institution for an undetermined
period, which can be prolonged for decades of years.
Nadezhda Raks, Tatiana Sokolova and Larissa Romanova have been accused to
have exploded a litter at the entry of the building of the security services
FSB, which caused only insignificant material damage. Nevertheless, the
prosecutor demands imprisonment from 10 to 20 years.
None of the accused had ever hurt or killed a person. Nevertheless, the
penal provisions exceed widely those demanded for the leaders of terrorist
gangs, who really organised and executed terrorist actions and killings.
Furthermore, none of the accused recognised the crimes they were accused of,
nor did they testify against the others, notwithstanding the heavy
psychological and physical suffering, by which one tries to force them. One
cannot approve the method of terror or exploding monuments and tombs, which
is the accusation against these young people, but this cannot justify the
methods applied in order to make them confess.
On the 14th of August 2000, on behalf of the Procurator of the City of
Moscow, the President of the Section of Verification of the Application of
Laws on the Federal Security, Y.A.Adamov, wrote that "there are sufficient
indications about their complicity in the preparation of explosives for an
act of terrorism, committed the 4th of April 1999". If there really would be
enough material evidence of the guilt of the accused, then one asks oneself
why during a whole year these evidence was not given to court, and why the
process was not started against Nadezhda Raks, Tatiana Sokolova and Larissa
Romanova. If the inquirers have found indeed sufficient proofs, why was it
necessary to continue to period of detention on remand ? During months the
defendants have not been interrogated, not confronted with "proofs", and
their lawyers were not allowed to see the dossier. Obviously, one is waiting
until they give in to pressure, let their will break down, and sign any
declaration they are asked for. In fact, no documents, finger prints or
explosives have been found that could prove their guilt.
Notwithstanding the right to see one's lawyer immediately after one is
arrested, Nadezhda Raks had to wait three months, until the 30th of May
2000, until she saw her lawyer for the first time. Meetings with lawyers,
and with the defenders on behalf of social organisations, are still
systematically prevented. Contrary to the right of accused to receive
letters, when these do not contain forbidden messages, from the 32 letters
the mother of Nadezhda Raks wrote to her daughter during two months, only
two postcards arrived. Contrary to the instruction "SIZO 48/2" about the
right of the prisoners to read and receive newspapers, Alexander Biriukov
was refused the, officially registerd, journals "Rabotchi Klass",
"Tovaritch" and "Novaya Volna".
In October and November 2000, Tatiana Sokolova did not receive the
medicines she needed, which worsened her illness.
Larissa Romanova was arrested with her 7 months old daughter Nadia, whom she
feeds, and who is living with her in prison. On the 19th of June 2000 she
was beaten by the vice-director of "SIZO N� 48/6", while she was holding her
baby Nadia in her hands. Her baby was brutally snatched away from her by her
hand and foot, and she saw her back only when arriving in the isolation
cell. Since then, the baby showed psychological problems, wept whenever
someone rose his voice or when a door was opened or closed. Other
representatives of the administration and prisoners were present at this
incident on the 19th of June. A complaint was lodged, amongst others at the
General Procurator, but none of these institutions has reacted to the
complaint. Larissa Romanova is constantly treated to be separated from her
child as a means of intimidation.
Mister Ambassador, these facts, if they are confirmed, are sharply in
contradiction with all internationally acknowledged norms of human rights.
For this reason, we ask you to inform the responsible institutions in your
country about the great concern they provoke in the public opinion in
Belgium. We hope that very soon all the formerly mentioned cases will be
clarified, that the rights of the political prisoners will be fully
respected and that they will be liberated from prison unconditionally.
Thanking You in advance for your intervention, Mister Ambassador, we send
You our most respectful greetings.
On behalf of the Anti-Imperialist League of Belgium
Dr. Pol Devos
68, rue de la Caserne
B-1000 Bruxelles
E-mail : [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Annex:
Adresses of the political prisonners:
Raks Nadezhda , 109383 Moscow, Ul. Shosseinaya N� 92, IZ 48/6, k.112
Sokolova Tatiana, 109383 Moscow, Ul. Shosseinaya N� 92, IZ 48/6, k.214
Romanova Larissa, 109383 Moscow, Ul. Shosseinaya N� 92, IZ 48/6, k.206
Sokolov Andrei, 123308 Moscow, 1-th Silikatni proezd N� 11/1, IZ 48/3, k.206
Biriukov Alexander, 103055 Moscow, Ul. Novoslobodskaya N� 45, IZ 48/2, k. 48
------------------------
"Without a Peoples Army the people have nothing"
Mao
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Unsubscribe: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Subscribe: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Web: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Peoples_War
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
