'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.'
Final Statements
'Allah sees that my conscience is clear.'
'You’re not trying a terrorist in this court. You’re trying a musician, an artist, a pacifist.'
'Without the freedom of speech, without the ability of citizens to express their opinion, without fear of prosecution, a country is doomed to collapse.'
‘I told the truth. If I had known this truth earlier, I would have said it earlier.’
‘It’s as though we’re in a “Black Mirror” episode right now. Honestly, it all suggests my case is politically motivated.’
'It is unacceptable to persecute for art.'
‘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 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.'
'One must completely trample on the law and common sense to find calls for extremist activity in songs written a hundred years ago…'
'I am not a foreign agent. I am a citizen of Russia.'
‘We are the independent journalists of this country, we have no obligation to please the president.’
‘I decided to fight back. Ukraine is my home.’
'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.'
'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.'
'All this year, I feel like a victim of the greatest absurdity I have ever encountered in life and art.'
'We are dealt guilty verdicts convicted for doubtings that an assault on a neighboring state is aimed at maintaining international peace and security.'
'We were sentenced to 13 to 19 years for alleged terrorist activity. In this country, people get less time for actual murder.'
'This is my country, this is my home, I am responsible for it. My conscience is clear, I am not ashamed or afraid'.
'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.'
Our newsletter to read a weekly Final Statement