'The generation that has already passed has bequeathed to us to protect the world with all our might, as the most valuable thing on Earth for all its inhabitants. And we have neglected his precepts and devalued our memory of these people and the victims of that war.'
Final Statements
'It's time to end patriarchy. The time for women has come.'
‘...I found myself in a world depicted in the paintings of Hieronymus Bosch. It's a completely different world with its own unique science of punishing people.’
'This country does not belong only to the 5 or 10 children of oligarchs, but to the millions of other children as well. Every child in Azerbaijan has the right to live in prosperity, justice, and dignity.'
'For some reason, it is now customary to take pride only in military successes. Excuse me, but the motherland is like a mother. Mothers sometimes get sick, and sometimes things don't work out for them. Does that mean we stop loving them? No.'
'And none of this is about the law. Nor is it about the truth. And in this sense, of course, it is much easier for me, because in 20 months I have not had to lie once. And telling the truth is easy and pleasant. Ultimately, truth and justice always prevail.'
'We are dealt guilty verdicts convicted for doubtings that an assault on a neighboring state is aimed at maintaining international peace and security.'
‘I do not at present see any reason to prove my innocence with regard to the charges brought against me, since the greater part of them are absolutely unfounded and do not correspond to reality.’
'We are accused of seizing power in the Russian Federation. But, excuse me, when did we personally come to live in the Russian Federation? We lived in Ukraine, and none of us moved to the Russian Federation. The Russian Federation came to us itself. It annexed our homeland Crimea as part of its country. Moreover, it did so illegally. And this is not my personal opinion, but the opinion of the entire international community.'
‘Stop torturing my grandmother and my children.’
'And you, please promise to remain hopeful and to remember how to smile. If we lose the ability to enjoy life, it would mean they have won.'
'It is unacceptable to persecute for art.'
'We can see that the government, while proclaiming that it’s fighting terrorism, is in reality only trying to retain its monopoly on terror.'
'I saw bags over people’s heads. Wires on their limbs. Broken ribs. Damaged kidneys. People beaten to death. Starvation for over a year. No medical help. People rotting alive—their arms, their legs. Lice and bedbugs. Two showers a year that we were allowed to, and after each one, we came out filthier than before. And beaten as well.'
‘It’s as though we’re in a “Black Mirror” episode right now. Honestly, it all suggests my case is politically motivated.’
‘Everyone who took part in these politically ordered arrests will carry this stain for the rest of their lives.’
‘They fail to see that Ukrainians don’t need any ‘big brother’. They don’t need, much less, any so-called triune Russian people.’
‘Your power is based on lies and violence’
‘I never held anti-Soviet views or convictions and never had the aim of weakening Soviet power.’
'We were sentenced to 13 to 19 years for alleged terrorist activity. In this country, people get less time for actual murder.'
Our newsletter to read a weekly Final Statement