"The accused is worth the family"

Relatives of the Politicals created a human rights movement

Relatives of the accused in the affairs of “New Greatness”, “Network” (the organization is prohibited in the territory of the Russian Federation), “Moskovsky case”, “Rostov’s case”, as well as relatives of the graduate student of Moscow State University Azat Miftakhov combined in motion “Mother against political repressions”.

In the premises of the Moscow Helsinki group, several completely different women talk with journalists. They are united by one thing - confidence that things against their children are fabricated. They are not human rights activists, but do not see another choice for themselves - they need to act.

According to the activist of the Group “Prisoners 212” Alexander Krylenkov, the association was created to show the company how large number of people affect political repressions:

- We want to show that each process is not a private business of individual young people who fell into these millstones. Behind every convict is a family, friends, and a support group. Despite the fact that we are a mother, <in our group> there are fathers, brothers, sisters and wife.

At the meeting, there is a father of the defendant of the “Moscow business” Sergey Fomin Vladimir (his son is under house arrest). Before his son was accused of participating in the riots, the man was not interested in politics.

Now a lot has changed, and, as Vladimir says, he will have to do human rights defense: “Since a son in trouble, he must help him.”

At the current stage, in his opinion, it is important to show the company that the struggle for the freedom of political prisoners should not end in mitigating the preventive measure.

“Sergey cannot continue his studies, cannot continue to do his own thing,” says Vladimir Fomin. - He can’t get anywhere, even get a haircut and take a walk. He, like a bird in a cage, cannot reach him. Let people not think that house arrest is the end of the matter.

Another participant in the meeting is the mother of the accused in the case of the "New Greatness" Anna Pavlikova Julia Vinogradova. This year, political repressions affected her family for the second time. At the end of October, her daughter signed with the convicted person involved in the Moscow Affairs Konstantin Kotov. Julia entered into the motion of mothers for his sake.

- This is a flagrant injustice. Absolutely all things are adjusted, there are some people who gave bad testimonies. They are being built, ”says Julia Vinogradova. - We took the most expensive - our children. Every mother in her grief <alone>.

It was decided to unite at least in order to make it easier for mothers to survive this terrible pain. Otherwise, it doesn’t work out in any way.

According to Alexander Krylenkov, the associations of parents began to appear after the beginning of the pressure on Muslims accused of belonging to the Khizb Ut-Tahrir al-Islami movement (the organization is prohibited in Russia). At the meeting, the Association of parents is represented by Milyausha Nurlygayanov, mother of Rinat Nurlygayanov, sentenced to 24 years in a strict regime for membership in the organization.

The process of uniting relatives on Muslim Affairs was transferred to other resonant political processes. The father of the defendant of the case of the “Network” (the organization is prohibited in Russia) Dmitry Pchelintsev, Dmitry Pchelintsev Sr. adds that the parents in the framework of their process were united thanks to Leo Ponomarev. According to the human rights activist himself, parental associations are a continuation of the tradition that was formed in modern Russia.

- My parents came to me and asked what to do. I replied, they say, do your organization, ”says Ponomarev about the unification as part of the“ network ”case. -“Nord-Ost” was also created. The emergence of “mothers against political repression” is completely natural, I will help the group develop further. I hope that together we will create a coalition of human rights activists and the movement of parents.

During the general part, each of the participants in the movement of “mothers against political repressions” tells about their own reasons to join the group, details of affairs against their children.

- Look at these beautiful women - the ideal of femininity and motherhood. And for some reason it so happened that we draw attention to prisons! - exclaims the mother of the convicted person involved in the “Moscow business” Ivan Podkopaeva Elena. - Our existence is now attracting attention to those who are in prisons.

Our guys are closed that someone threw a bottle. At the same time, we can be killed, raped, but to receive "conditionally."

Next to her, Galina Martintsova covers her face with her hands. Her son Maxim was arrested in mid -October. According to investigators, on July 27, he, along with another defendant in Moscow Affairs, Yegor Forest, tumbled down on the sidewalk of an employee of the Russian Guard. The mother of Danila fugitive Lyudmila is crying. Now her son is passing through the stage in Kaluga. He was convicted of two years in colony for the fact that during the action on July 27 he touched the employee of the Russian Guard.

“We go out not only for our children, but for the whole society in general,” says Natalya Konon, the mother of the liberated defendant of “Moscow case” Daniil Konon. - If you do not stop what is now tested on our families and on our children, it can come to any family. Everyone is not protected in the same way as we are not protected. This unification of mothers should be the beginning of a large association of the whole society. We must make sure that what is happening with our children was not in vain.

Konon is sure that now I need to help the guys and make sure that someone is reduced, somehow equip them with life in the colonies. In addition, it is necessary to support the families of other innocently convicted. “The state of human rights and the judicial system, which is now in Russia, is in a deplorable state. All these cases showed that there is no justice. And it should be, ”the woman summarizes.

After the meeting, the participants in the movement went to the presidential administration with single pickets. Now is one of the few ways to publicly express your position without prior consistency with the authorities.