2/17/20
Russian scientists, teachers and other groups of professionals have signed open letters in support of seven young men who were jailed last week on what they call fabricated charges of terrorism. A court in the central Russian city of Penza last Monday sentenced the seven members of an anti-fascist group called Set to prison terms between six and 18 years. The defendants say they were tortured into giving incriminating testimony, and human rights activists say the evidence against them was fabricated. The open letters come amid single-person pickets in support of the convicted Set members, as well as detentions of picketers, in Moscow, St. Petersburg and Penza. They also mirror a similar series of open letters published by groups of Russian professionals following the prosecutions of anti-Kremlin protesters in Moscow last summer.
Scientists More than 2,700 Russian scientists signed an open letter calling on the authorities to drop the sentences and punish officials involved in the alleged fabrications of evidence. Writers More than 2,500 writers, publicists and journalists have signed an open letter in support of the convicted. Teachers Some 500 teachers across the country signed an open letter condemning the jail sentences for “contradicting the humanistic principles that guide us in educating the younger generation of Russian citizens.” “We believe the case is fabricated: the court is used to intimidate our own people,” the teachers’ union wrote. Psychologists More than 200 psychologists signed an open letter in support of the convicted Set members. Psychologists “This situation is a shock for Russian citizens. It creates the conditions for violence, oppression and the development of dangerous mental problems in our society,” they wrote. Booksellers A dozen bookstores in Moscow, St. Petersburg, Penza and other cities declared plans to close on Monday and take part in single-person pickets in support of the Set defendants. Artists More than 90 Russian artists, art historians, gallery owners, museum workers and more signed an open letter to oppose the verdicts and condemn the torture allegedly carried out by law enforcement officials during the case. “Torture not only cripples the souls and bodies of people. It destroys society, the nation and, ultimately, the state,” the letter says.
