Boris Kagarlitsky turns 66 today. On behalf of the thousands who have signed in support of his freedom the Boris Kagarlitsky International Solidarity Campaign wishes Boris the happiest birthday possible —possible, that is, for anyone held in a Russian penal colony.

Last February 13, after the prosecution successfully appealed against his original penalty of a fine, Boris Kagarlitsky began serving a five-year sentence on the farcical charge of “justifying terrorism”. 

Counting the time spent in detention since his initial arrest on July 26, 2023, he has now spent 337 days behind bars.

At an age when Boris should be free to pursue his work for the cause of human liberation, he is unjustly detained in dangerous conditions along with over 300 other opponents of the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

Against them the Putin regime has applied the charge of “justifying terroism”, or one of its other pieces of legislation targetting anti-war dissent, like “bringing the armed forces into disrepute” or “broadcasting fake news”.

Boris has written from jail, in a message of support for the newly established Left Political Prisoners Support Fund, that all anti-war political prisoners in Russia deserve our solidarity and support:

“Beyond question, it is necessary to support all those who, without resorting to violence, defend their views and are subjected to persecution as a result. We need to know and remember all their names.

“Nevertheless, people on the left can and should do more for their co-thinkers. Most important is the fact that through combining our efforts to help political prisoners we aid in strengthening the movement and build coordination between individuals and groups. 

“Working together to help our co-thinkers who are suffering for their beliefs is much more fruitful than carrying on endless arguments about who was right in the Soviet political discussions of the 1920s, about how to regard Stalin and Trotsky, and about who should be considered an impeccable Marxist and who a reformist, an opportunist, or on the other hand, a sectarian.

“Under today’s conditions, when political action and self-organisation in our country have become extremely difficult, helping our co-thinkers who have been imprisoned is not just humanitarian activity, but also an important political gesture, an act of practical solidarity.”

Boris, on your 66th birthday, our thoughts are with you and your family, The Boris Kagarlitsky International Solidarity Campaign is “putting in the work” you call for, in the hope that before your 67th birthday our efforts and those of the thousands of others will bring freedom to you and your fellow political prisoners.

Happy birthday!

Photo: Collage of birthday greetings sent to Boris from around the world