Many people from across the world have closely followed the two trials and unlawful imprisonment of Mikhail Khodorkovsky and Platon Lebedev, and have frequently written us to express their support.  Below is an open thread of comments and statements of support ahead this charity concert.  Feel free to add your voice through the comment form below.

Cart_son | Mikhail | 23.05.2011 16:39

BRAVO!!! Every step, every day, “constant dripping wears away a stone”, everywhere. But we must win! We cannot do without hope and Faith!

AYLO156 | Olga Mikhailovna Reshetova, city of Taganrog | 23.05.2011 16:43

I am one of those thousands of Russian entrepreneurs waiting for a just decision of the European Court of Human Rights (Application # 32366/07 of 31.07 2007). I spent 3.5 years out of my 55 in jail (was sentenced to seven years), got 2.5 years removed in supervisory proceedings, got out on parole without admission of guilt on the basis of Ruling of the RF Constitutional Court No. 639-O-O of 28.05.2009. Thank you for the newsletter. THANK YOU to those who takes part in drawing attention of the global community to the brutal violation of human rights and destruction of law in Russia.

TheLyudmilaP | Lyudmila | 23.05.2011 20:27

Olga Mikhailovna, I am not an entrepreneur but I’m also waiting for a just ECHR decision (Application N 50635/08 of 24 October 2008). As a revenge for an attempt to restore my good name and a source of water (the building was disconnected from the water main in a barbaric manner; the authorities have been turning a blind eye since 2005). Already after I had applied to the ECHR, there was immediately an attempt to accuse me of theft of funds allocated for the 2007 election by the election commission. It failed. You have survived and still have energy to wait for the justice. Self-respect is worth a lot. One doesn’t need to be clever to trample on it; it’s much more difficult to preserve it, especially in isolation. My deepest respect!

nkaterli | Nina Katerli | 23.05.2011 16:47

Strasbourg has indeed become the centre of the struggle for human rights in Europe. And I’m sure that it is here that a just decision will finally be made in the case of M.B. Khodorkovsky and P.L. Lebedev

bella_leyfer | Bella Leyfer | 23.05.2011 19:26

bravo

TheLyudmilaP | Lyudmila | 23.05.2011 19:46

How much would I like to see Strasbourg and die! It is the place to which out hopes and aspirations go for the saving of political prisoners, for Freedom of Speech, for each applicant to be heard in the European Court, if the Guarantor of Rights and Freedoms does not hear them! I personally would like to say the following: it is impossible to describe the sense of freedom that I felt when I first got a letter from the EUROPEAN COURT of Human Rights, and, the other way around, how suffocating it is when you have to seek justice for years, without an effective feedback from those who take law-abiding citizens to the ECHR. Russians are badly informed and don’t know about even basic human rights. It is impossible to cancel wind, and especially music, created by a genius and free from political dirt and vulgarity of people’s servants!

albert_2010 | Albert | 23.05.2011 21:05

And our “kings” and “queens”, “stars” and various “maestros” are lying low in their tranches, as if the ARBITRARINESS and LAWLESSNESS will not touch them! You are so mistaken, sirs! Putler’s coming to power will affect you, too!
Mstislav Rostropovich in 1991 understood it very well. Geniuses have an especially acute sense of fairness and endless belief in the triumph of GOOD!
And most of our Russian “servants of Melpomene” think about their own personal immediate well-being rather than about Russia

vdemchenko | Vladimir Sergeyevich Demchenko | 23.05.2011 21:43

My deep gratitude to the organisers and participants of the charity concert who took it upon themselves to cover some of the cost of the world-renowned Lyceum founded by Mikhail Khodorkovsky, who was sent to jail by the thievish putinist authorities. We can only deeply regret that so few brave and conscientious artists remained in Russia, those who raise their voices in defence of people who were sent to jail “not on the basis of law but as a result of the trampling on it”. Indifferent people start understanding everything when there is a knock on their door. That is, too late.
The Demchenkos, Kazan.

golubika88 | Natalya | 24.05.2011 16:08

Dear Vladimir Sergeyevich, I agree with you!

Dravert2011 | Vas.Iv.Dravert | 24.05.2011 00:54

“Russian Justice Minister, Alexander Konovalov, said in an interview with Russia Today that the verdict in the Yukos case was delivered by “experienced judges” and called the decision itself “qualified”.” It is a funny statement with a Freudian slip, since prior to this statement, according to the general line of our government, the second verdict was issued by one judge, not by judges. And according to the defence, on the contrary, the verdict was actually delivered by several judges, not by one judge. It is also impressive that the Russian Justice Minister, A. Kovalev [sic], made such a premature statement in defence of the verdict that has not yet come into legal force and without authority to do so. It is obvious that this is the government’s position for the ECHR. Such vague criteria as “it seems to me” do not change anything. At the same time, it is an assessment of the position of the ECHR, which has already found the application in relation to the first verdict to be admissible as concerns the groundless tax claims. The subject-matter of the verdict was constituted by the same actions that were classified by the court in the first case as a tax crime and in the second case as a theft of property [by way of] embezzlement. The ECHR does know about that connection and the contradiction between the first and the second verdicts against M.B. Khodorkovsky and P.L. Lebedev. Those verdicts refute each other. The fact of issuance of the second verdict once again points at the unsustainability of the court findings in the first one. Stolen property (oil) is not taxable, and the other way around, if the verdict concerning non-payment of that tax was found to be lawful, it means there are no signs of the theft of the oil. You can’t have your cake and eat it too – have both tax evasion and theft. It’s an interesting confidence. The case is, of course, serious, and the decision is serious, but during the court hearings the judge and even the prosecutors themselves were laughing unanimously together with the defence and the public at the stupidity of the prosecution case, which subsequently formed the basis of the verdict. So the decision is serious, but at the same time it is not serious since that position was laughed at by everybody. Can a decision, which is laughable at its core, be found to be a qualified one? Can a laughing stock be serious? Laughing through tears can only be serious when it comes from tragedians. Period.

Anita | Valentina | 26.05.2011 01:10

It is great – free winds still blow in Europe, and they reached Strasbourg on the waves of Pärt’s music! Maybe they will refresh the minds of everybody on whom a just decision in favour of Mikhail and Platon depends!

lavsel | Sergey | 03.06.2011 19:52

I’ve already written once that I feel a special pleasure when Arvo Pärt’s name is mentioned because this past winter I stood right next to him in one of single-man pickets. Of course, I didn’t know whom I was talking to waiting for my turn to stand with the poster: there were intelligent people of various ages there, from retirees to students.
And only some time later did I see his official portrait …
I’m glad that not only our domestic artists but even the cultural Europe sympathizes with us in our efforts to return to democracy!
Best regards, Sergey Lvovich.

ecolog | Maria | 05.06.2011 22:20

Great! I wish there were more such events! I’d love to go there …
Strasbourg itself is full of atmosphere of freedom and internationalism. In my opinion, even the air there is different.
I think such a concert will bring together many lovers of good music who are not indifferent to Russia and its problems.

05041972 | sasha | 06.06.2011 03:25

Thanks a lot to all the organisers and participants.

akk67 | Asya | 08.06.2011 20:28

I wish there were more such concerts and, in general, actions mentioning the names of Khodorkovsky and Lebedev – we need to move under the tyrant. I wish victory to all of us – freedom to Khodorkovsky and Lebedev!