In the weeks before Boris Kagarlitsky’s appeal against his five-year jail term for “justifying terrorism”, the Boris Kagarlitsky International Solidarity Campaign invited prominent figures in politics and higher education in twelve countries to make a special direct appeal for his release to both the Supreme Court and the Presidential Administration of the Russian Federation.
Unfortunately, this has proven to no avail—the Russian court reconfirmed Kagarlitsky’s sentence on June 5. The Campaign is now making the appeal public.
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To: The Judges of the Judicial Collegium for Military Personnel of the Supreme Court of the Russian Federation
June 1, 2024
Esteemed Honourable Court,
We, the undersigned, have learned that the appeal ofthe internationally respected sociologist and author Doctor Boris Yulievich Kagalitsky against the five year jail term imposed on him by a military appeals court on the grounds of “justifying terrorism” will be heard on June 5 by the Judicial Collegium for Military Personnel of the Supreme Court of the Russian Federation.
We have followed Doctor Kagarlitsky’s case with growing concern since he was first arrested on July 25, 2023.
We believe that Doctor Kagarlitsky has no case to answer, and should be set free immediately. He has never advocated terrorist methods to achieve political ends. Moreover, the remarks he made on which the charge and his conviction were based in no way contained an expression of support for any specific military action taken against any asset of the Russian Federation.
Maintaining Dr Kagarlitsky in prison by rejecting his appeal can only damage Russia’s international reputation.
We ask the Honourable Court to give full consideration to this request.
SIGNATURES:
Brazil
Fernanda Melchionna, Federal Deputy, Socialism and Freedom Party
Sâmia Bomfim, Federal Deputy, Socialism and Freedom Party
Lena Lavinas, professor of economics, Federal University of Rio de Janeiro
Ana Saggioro Garcia, Associate Professor, International Relations, Federal Rural University of Rio de Janeiro, Research Associate, BRICS Policy Center
India
Achin Vanaik, former Head of Department of Political Science at the University of Delhi
Prabhat Patnaik, former Vice-Chairman, Kerala State Planning Board
C.P. Chandrasekar, emeritus professor at the Centre for Economic Studies and Planning, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi
Clifton D'Rozario, National Secretary, All India Central Council of Trade Unions
China
Lau Kin Chi, Associate Professor of Cultural Studies, Linnan University, Hong Kong, Global University for Sustainable Development
Sit Cui, Associate Professor, China Institute of Rural Reconstruction, Southwest University, Chongqing
South Africa
Mametlwe Sebei, President, Industrial Workers Union of South Africa
Zwelinzima Vavi, General Secretary, South African Federation of Trade Unions
Greece
Yanis Varoufakis, writer and political leader, former treasurer of the Hellenic Republic
France
Jean-Luc Mélenchon, former leader and deputy for France Unbowed and the New Ecological and Social People’s Union, National Assembly of the French Republic
Sophie Chikirou, Deputy for France Unbowed and the New Ecological and Social People’s Union, National Assembly of the French Republic
Arnaud Le Gall, Deputy for France Unbowed and the New Ecological and Social People’s Union, National Assembly of the French Republic
Jérôme Legavre, Deputy for France Unbowed and the New Ecological and Social People’s Union, National Assembly of the French Republic
Argentina
Claudio Katz, associate professor, University of Buenos Aires
Belgium
Marc Botenga, Member of the European Parliament
Ireland
Mick Wallace, Member of the European Parliament for Independentsfor Change
Clare Daly, Member of the European Parliament for Independentsfor Change
Paul Murphy, Member of the Irish Parliament (Teachta Dála) for Dublin South-West
Brid Smith, Member of the Irish Parliament (Teachta Dála)
Richard Boyd Barrett, Member of the Irish Parliament (Teachta Dála)
Gino Kenny, Member of the Irish Parliament (Teachta Dála)
Portugal
Mariana Mortágua, Left Bloc national coordinator
Fabian Figueiredo, Left Bloc parliamentary leader
Marisa Matias, Left Bloc MP
Spain
Yolanda Diaz, Second Vice-president and Minister of Labor
Ernest Urtasun, Minister of Culture
Pablo Bustinduy, Minister of Social Rights and Agenda 2030
United Kingdom
Jeremy Corbyn, Member of Parliament of the United Kingdom
Andrew Murray, trade unionist and author
Kate Hudson, general secretary, Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament
Gerry Carroll, Member of the Legislative Assembly of Northern Ireland
United States
Alan Minsky, Executive Director of Progressive Democrats of America
Jayati Ghosh, professor of economics, University of Massachusetts, Amherst