'One cannot seek justice only for oneself and silence one’s conscience when justice is being violated in relation to others.'
Final Statements
The Final Statement ‘I want to say that, whatever happens next, we all have one important feeling in this case. The greatest and most important one. It illuminates life and…
'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.'
'My only wish was to work in a socialist state.'
‘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.’
‘I told the truth. If I had known this truth earlier, I would have said it earlier.’
‘As a result of the trial, my conviction that I have not violated the law remains unshaken.’
‘And I understood that I might pay for five minutes of freedom on Red Square with years of imprisonment.’
'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.'
'No matter how long or how meticulously the authorities search for evidence of the 'crime' for which I am being tried, they will not find it. Because there was no crime, and there is no guilt.'
'Torture is a sign not only of the investigators' injustice and inhumanity, but also of their weakness, helplessness, and lack of professionalism.'
'Your Honour, I have nothing further to add. Everything was said during the closing arguments by my lawyer and me.'
'This is my country, this is my home, I am responsible for it. My conscience is clear, I am not ashamed or afraid'.
'You’re not trying a terrorist in this court. You’re trying a musician, an artist, a pacifist.'
‘...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.’
‘I do not consider myself guilty, and once again I ask to be given the opportunity to continue my work together with my colleagues.’
‘For ten minutes, I was a citizen.’
Being a dictator is a bad idea. A very bad idea. But even those who could trample on human rights and liberties with impunity have not been forgiven by descendants. Indeed, the dictators’ names have remained for ages, yet just as headlines of the blackest pages of our history.
'War is the fastest means of dehumanization—a state of affairs when the line between good and evil is blurred.'
'I saw bags over people’s heads, wires attached to different parts of their bodies, broken ribs, damaged kidneys, people beaten to death, hunger lasting for more than a year, no medical assistance whatsoever, people rotting, legs, arms, lice, bedbugs, two showers in a year–and after those showers we left dirtier than when we arrived, and beaten as well.'
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