'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.'
Final Statements
'We can see that the government, while proclaiming that it’s fighting terrorism, is in reality only trying to retain its monopoly on terror.'
'All this year, I feel like a victim of the greatest absurdity I have ever encountered in life and art.'
'You’re not trying a terrorist in this court. You’re trying a musician, an artist, a pacifist.'
“I'm not going to tell you, because I know one thing: until your life gets into such a situation, no matter how I describe it, no matter how beautifully I speak about it using different slogans, it won't reach anyone”.
'Remind yourself and others: two plus two equals four. Black is black. White is white. I am a human, I am strong and bold. We are strong and bold.'
'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.'
‘...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.’
‘The inability to peacefully influence the actions of the authorities, and the criminal prosecution of those who disagree, leads to some leaving the country, while others decide to take action.’
'And please stop calling me a soldier. I do not want to associate with bio-trash.'
'We are dealt guilty verdicts convicted for doubtings that an assault on a neighboring state is aimed at maintaining international peace and security.'
'I am not a foreign agent. I am a citizen of Russia.'
'A racketeer offering ‘protection’ depends on the very threat he claims to shield his victim from. States in their early stages of formation operate in much the same way. Without an enemy, there is no need for a ‘protector.’ And if no enemy exists, one can always be invented.'
'Allah sees that my conscience is clear.'
'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.'
‘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.’
'It is unacceptable to persecute for art.'
'...When I told the refugee camp staff about my past service, I hoped to find at least common sense, at most justice. But now I am afraid. I am afraid, gentlemen. But not before justice. I am afraid that here, in this courtroom, I may find neither.'
‘I demand the maximum sentence. Because I despise you. I will not live on this land or in this country with you.’
'Right now it may seem to you that I am out of my mind and all of you are sane, for one cannot swim against the current. But to me, it seems that you have gone mad.'
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