“They contrary to everything are against the current”: Interviewing Svetlana Sidorkina about the protection of activists

- When did you start engaged in political criminal cases?

- In 2006. In Mari El there was a very exotic criminal case - I defended the Mari priest. He is so kind of very uncle. He believed that the Mari religion was the coolest of all. He wrote a book about this, and for this it was brought to criminal liability. Then there were several more human rights cases in Mari El and Tatarstan, and in 2010 I moved to Moscow.

- Why did you decide to continue to do human rights affairs after moving?

- If I had a choice, I hardly went to human rights in Moscow. After all, I did not move from the filing of human rights organizations, but simply decided to change something in my life. Here I wandered around the first year, one might say, I was in poverty. And then Pasha Chikov (the head of the International Human Rights Group "Agora" -OTD-Info ) decided to give me the case. I said - come on. Moreover, I was without work then.

I began my legal practice in the "human rights center of the Republic of Mari El." I came there after I received a second higher education - legal. I did not have wealthy parents who would promote me. I came and say: this and so, they don’t take anywhere to work, because there is no blat, there is no work experience - so I want to get legal experience. The leader replies: “There is no money - I will not pay you. But practices are above the roof. ”

The next three years I combined work in this human rights center with work at the TPP. It was the nineties, it was necessary to feed parents and sister. I worked at the thermal power station hardworking, according to the sliding graphics in two days. Between the shifts she went to work in a human rights center.

The day I worked in human rights, at night I was replaced by a hard worker. On weekends at the TPP, I worked again in human rights

In general, here in this rhythm. Without weekends, without vacations for three years. I now remember and think, Lord - how I withstood. Then I had three years of legal experience, I was taken to the assistants of the lawyer, then I went to lawyers.

- Why did you go to lawyers?

-I had such a lawyer's dream so childish. I was a book girl, read them and decided to help people. But I had no idea that it would be so [as now]. I don’t know if I would make such a choice with today's awareness of myself in the profession.

Because so much negativity. Sometimes everything falls, you understand. We recently won the civil case with Ilnur Sharapov in Kotelniki. They wanted to demolish at home , but now they will not do this if the decision will stand in the Supreme Court. This is the only thing that won, when your work really provided some real help-all the negativity attributes immediately. And then you think: "Well, at least something you did good in the profession."

But when the judge does not care. When the law is on your side, and decisions are still made against your principals. When you constantly have to live with this, it’s hard.

I had a period that lasted four years - before that year. There was a very strong emotional decline, which I did not tell anyone about anyone. I just burned, worked through force. Because everything. It was burned out simply from everything.

This year I somehow raised a little. The colleagues also helped. They saw that I could not cope emotionally, so last year they voluntarily and accurately sent me on vacation. The first time in 20 years was on vacation. After him, I began to recover.

- Did not want to quit everything?

- You understand. I get tired not so much specifically from work on human rights matters. From [commercial] cases, too, I do not always receive satisfaction.

There are two memorable things for me. The first was in Mari El. The guy did not eventually sit down. He now has a wonderful family, a beautiful wife and children. And if he had got into jail, it is not known how his fate would have developed. I believe that there is my merit in how this business was resolved. They probably don’t remember me already, it was 15 years ago, but for me it was a significant matter, because it really received satisfaction from my work.

The second thing was in Moscow. There were anarchists and anti-fascists-this is the work of the schoolboy (Alexei Olesinov- OTD-info ) and [Alexei] Sutuga- the case of a fight in the club "Air". They wanted to hang an additional episode according to 111 [article of the Criminal Code], this is “serious harm to health”, and the schoolboy had an outstanding criminal record, he would not receive less than eight [years].

And there I managed to prove that Sutuga and the schoolboard have nothing to do with this episode. I believe that this was also our victory - mine and [lawyer] Dima Dinze. Then dill helped a lot (anarchist Vladimir Skopintsev- OTD-info ). He and a couple of guys helped collect evidence. Dill must be put on this case.

These two things are so significant for me. In the rest of the affairs, I did not receive such moral satisfaction.

- How did it happen that you were a lawyer in almost all criminal cases against anarchists and anti -fascists who were persecuted in recent years? Is this a conscious choice to protect the left?

- First, I entered these matters with the filing of human rights activists, the same “Agora”. Then, as a result of communication with anti -fascists and anarchists - they came themselves. There is a mouth, most likely.

When you work for a long time on the case, you become the principal almost like a relative. The fact is that lawyer work is half the work of a psychologist. And this personal human communication imposes a certain imprint and [creates] a certain degree of trust.

You always try to treat people humanly . Because this is the main thing. Ultimately, in political cases, the lawyer does not decide much . The court makes the whole decision and it all depends on what position he will take in this situation. There, if something is possible, then according to the little things, more or more in terms of the sentence.

Most likely, they need to ask why they chose me as a lawyer.

“But you agreed.”

- Well, I agreed. Maybe I still have the instinct of self -preservation is not so high, since I have no family and children. Maybe that's why I was sometimes reckless for some business.

- What are you holding political views?

- No. I am non -Russian by nationality - Mariya. We have a Mari faith - pagan, I accept it. But at the same time, I am baptized and accepted Orthodoxy. For five years she was a vegan, 15 years in esotericism. In general, I changed my mind a lot. But now I am not so much in God as in a person, I probably believe. I can not classify myself to any religious denomination, not a single political party. Some completely different humanistic principles that are important in my life today.

“I ask, because I’m trying to understand whether you are making a decision, or not, based on your political views.” This is all about the question about anarchists and anti -fascists.

- No. It's just purely human. I respect the fact that because of their beliefs they sacrifice themselves to society. Let some of them, having served, change their views or attitude - I think this is normal. But I have deep respect that they contrary to everything are against the current. Have their own principles. For me, it is precisely the ideological people who drive their beliefs.

- Another question is in the context of political views. When I found out that you entered into the work of the “new greatness” and began to defend Kostylenkov, I was surprised. He adheres to the right or ultra -right views and this is knocked out of the general row of the left activists that you defended. Is the views of the defendant important for you when you enter into a political criminal case?

- No, I didn’t even think about this topic here. I just thought so-the article is political, interesting, you can go to the ECHR with it (the European Court of Human Rights- ATS-Info ). It’s just that now I am interested in just such a job that requires any certain knowledge. I am interested in rummaging, peeing [complaints] in the ECHR.

And Kostylenkov ... He has his own cockroaches, he is so confused, he himself does not yet know what he wants. He has such a youthful enthusiasm, the desire in this world to change something , but how to do it-he does not know and tries in his own ways and based on his own knowledge. It is very difficult for him in life, because he is still an orphan. He has to get out somehow . I perceive it purely humanly -for me he is like a son.

- Since there is so much negativity, you can’t particularly influence anything, then why are you doing this?

- At first - because there was no work. But in general, all these things are someone's fate. People should not be left alone with the system.

-Well, now you could find a job.

- This is a false installation that if they write about you and you work on political affairs, then customers go to you. I can’t say that this PR led to some kind of monetization and there is a turn to me. This is not.