Statements of Support (2003-2013) / Zingeris, Emanuelis

“Mikhail… 10 years… I remember our remarkable meeting 10 years ago in Vilnius.

You were speaking about Russia’s democratic future and you said remarkable words: ‘If one person will take a dominant position in Russia, then there won’t be any democracy.’ You also said that you are trying to help all democratic powers. I remember this conversation. It was a sunny day… Unfortunately, now you have fewer opportunities to see the sun and the sky. All these years we are thinking about you; about your struggles to make it possible for everyone to have their own opinion and different views on the future of Russia. You were envisioning Russia as non-imperialistic country that won’t be threatening its neighbours and will peacefully participate in the union with other democratic countries.

We remember you and are counting days to the moment when you will be free. You can see that people on Bolotnaya Square are backing you, and growing number of Russian intellectuals and simple Russian people remember you and remember about their duty before the freedom. Freedom is close, stay strong. Here, at the European Council, we remember you and today many people in our group were raising hands in favour of sending a letter remembering your courage and expressing our support. All the best, we will meet again very soon, in freedom. Thank you”

Emanuelis Zingeris, Lithuanian Member of Parliament Committee on Political Affairs and Democracy, Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE), speaking in an interview as part of the Decade of Injustice video series to mark the 10th anniversary of Khodorkovsky’s arrest, October 14, 2013