Vera Vasilieva: "Do not lose hope!"

On July 25, the former Yukos employee Alexei Pichugin turns 55 years old. And this is his 15th birthday in bars. The Strasbourg Court twice recognized that Alexei Pichugin was convicted illegally, with a violation of the right to fair justice guaranteed by the European Convention on the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms. The human rights center "Memorial" considers it a political prisoner.

Alexey Pichugin is holding on bars longer than any of the modern Russian political prisoners. He is in prison longer than Edmond Dantes, Count Monte Cristo. Alexei dreams of returning home not at all in order to engage in social activities and politics. He is a non -public person and wants to bring the benefit to his family and the country. He pointed to this in his two petitions for pardon (without guilty) in the name of Vladimir Putin, which were both rejected at the regional level, without reaching the President of Russia.

Unlike Count Monte Cristo, Alexei Pichugin does not intend to take revenge for anyone. Over the years, spent in the Westernity, he, contrary to everything, retained not only a bright mind and self -esteem, but also a good attitude towards people. The hardest thing he can say to his persecutors - and this is known to everyone who corresponds to Alexei, and his correspondence is extremely vast, "God is a judge." Despite the repeated proposals , Alexei Pichugin did not agree to false against the leadership of Yukos in return for the promised tempting prospect of personal freedom.

Therefore, contrary to presented by a monstrous (and unproven) accusations, people are so drawn to Alexei. By his 55th anniversary, which Pichugin is again forced to meet in an unfair conclusion, far from relatives, he received hundreds of congratulations from different parts of Russia and abroad-from Poland, the USA, Great Britain, Germany, Israel and other countries. All of them, along with a festive card, were sent to the Black Dolphin colony.

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The petition of Alexei Pichugin about pardon is rejected

Freedom publishes some of these letters Radio with the consent of the authors.

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Dear Alexey Vladimirovich!

Congratulations on the 55th anniversary!

We sincerely wish you health, spiritual and physical strength, vigor, and most importantly - freedom. And you can’t occupy courage and resistance. We remember and think about you.

Alexey Vladimirovich! Do not lose hope and faith that justice will triumph and you will be liberated.

Sincerely, Lyudmila Alekseeva, chairman of the Moscow Helsinki group, members and employees

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Dear Alexey!

Happy Birthday to you!

Another year, another anniversary date in captivity ... And all these years you continue to remain yourself, maintaining courage and honor, nobility and kindness, faith, hope and love. Someday, your resistance will certainly be rewarded-after all, God sees everything, and His patience is not unlimited. This day will certainly come - evil and lies will be defeated, though you will triumph, and you will return home, to your loved ones, beloved people.

“It is necessary to live in Russia for a long time,” said Korney Chukovsky. But I believe that this will happen soon, and I hope to survive until the day when we meet with you in the wild, in Free Russia.

With faith, hope and love,

Your Nina Katerli, writer

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Dear Alexey Vladimirovich,

I sincerely congratulate you on your birthday! I wish you health and speedy liberation! I do not cease to hope that you will soon be released, so I consider your decision to turn to the President of Russia with a petition for pardon absolutely correct and reasonable! Alexey Vladimirovich, I am waiting for you at large to shake your hand as a sign of a huge respect for you.

Alexey Kondaurov, former head of the Yukos Information and Analytical Administration, Major General of the KGB of the USSR

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Dear Alexey!

I congratulate you on your birthday! I wish you health and strength. I really miss our meetings in Lefortovo, when I was a member of the PMC and my colleagues came to visit you, I always rejoice at your letters. I am sure that we will definitely meet you at large!

Happy birthday! And let the next take place already outside the prison walls. As a believer, I believe in miracles, even, if sometimes, it seems that these miracles are not for everyone. But in a miracle, I always believe for you.

Zoya Svetova, journalist, human rights activist

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Dear Alexey,

With all my heart and from two hearts - mine and Andrei - I congratulate you on your birthday! We both really wish you health and strength. A lot of health, a lot of effort (although it is difficult to imagine the mental strength more than yours!). Please take care of yourself. For better time, for a wonderful life at large. You know how many of us, those who love you, respect and wait!

Julia Sereda, Andrey Blinushov, Ryazan "Memorial"

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It will be sure that your nobility, your loyalty to yourself, your beliefs and your faith - will certainly be rewarded

Alexey, happy birthday to you! It is outrageously wrong that you are not meeting him at home in the circle of your closest people. The reason for this can be stated in a few words: fourteen years ago, a group of scoundrels tried to make you a proposal, which, according to their obscure understanding, no “normal” person can refuse - the scoundrels invited you to stipulate and doom another person to the prison. It could never have occurred to them that someone was able to refuse! But in you, faith is stronger than the subtraint - and you refused. With all the possible meanness, they took revenge on nobility, trying to take your life from you, taking away your freedom. That is why I am now forced to turn to you not at your festive table at your house, but in such a public way. And this means that it is more important that people understand the most important reason what is happening to you. The revenge of the scoundrels is a noble person - this is what does not allow us to sit at one table on the day of your birth, everything is very simple, and there is no need for difficult legal explanations.

But nobility is rewarded. And it will be sure that your nobility, your loyalty to yourself, your beliefs and your faith - will certainly be rewarded. So it will certainly be - sooner or later, one way or another. And I repeat it to you on your birthday, Alexei. Happy Birthday to you!

Igor Sutyan, scientist, London Military-Political Expert

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Dear Alexey!

I cordially congratulate you on your birthday! Another year of your heroic resistance to criminal power has passed.

You were an ordinary person, an officer who never thought about political activity. But there were so circumstances that the Kremlin made you his political prisoner No. 1, an iron mask of the Putin regime.

The executioners failed to break you and it infuriates them. The day of leaving the power of the dictator will also become the day of your liberation. We all expected him to your anniversary. It will certainly come in the 56th year of your life.

With great respect,

Andrey Piontkovsky, political scientist, publicist

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Dear Alexey!

From the bottom of my heart I congratulate you on a wonderful anniversary !!!

A bright and great mood to you on this day. Know, please: you are not alone, many people believe you, they are over for you, wait and always nearby.

Let the main thing finally come and will begin with your stunning happy strip - the happiest one, which is possible. You deserve this like no one else.

No one has doubts about your courage, patience and inhuman forces. You are a hero. But still - I wish you all this even more to cope and overcome this prolonged epic, the ends of which we all wait for.

Health to you and loved ones, a lot of joy - real and big, bright events, the embodiment of all the most cherished and secret! And once again happiness!

With great warmth and hope,

Vera Chelyishcheva, journalist

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Dear Alexey!

I wish you to be healthy and free. I wish to overcome everything that is happening to you now, and stay alive so that we meet.

Natalia Fateeva, actress, People's Artist of the Russian Federation

Vera Vasilieva is an independent journalist leading the Radio Liberty project "Freedom and Memorial"

Opinions expressed under the section may not reflect the point of view of the editorial office