Almost 18 years in prison for refusing to bear false witness

March 15, 2021

Chairman of the Boris Nemtsov Foundation for Freedom Vladimir Kara Murza Jr. discussed Alexei Pichugin’s case on Echo of Moscow radio station.

Vladimir Kara Murza:

Last week there was a session of the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe, which oversees the execution of the European Court (of Human Rights)’ judgments. <…> Four cases were examined there involving Russia. Another case (aside from Navalny’s case) is the case of the last prisoner of the Yukos Affair Alexei Pichugin, who’s been in prison longer than any other Russian political prisoner – almost 18 years, since 2003. I recently re-read the circumstances of Pichugin’s case; it’s really frightening. I remembered myself back in 2003 – I had just graduated from college. Since then, I got married, had three children, changed a number of jobs, survived two assassination attempts (and even know who’s behind them). And this whole time, this man has been inside four walls. For nothing. For refusing to bear false witness. He was told many times: “Sign [your statement] against Khodorkovsky and Nevzlin and you’ll be free tomorrow.” I have a really hard time imagining the willpower and courage he must have to be able to say “No” under these circumstances. And yet he’s been in prison for 18 years.

He already won two European Court judgments, and there are several Committee of Ministers resolutions stating he must be released. Yet another resolution was issued last week. The Russian authorities are ignoring it all. Our officials say the European Court is not a higher court for us, we are under no obligation to execute anything. As a character from Bulgakov’s novel [The Master and Margarita] said, that’s “a case of so-called fiddlesticks,”[1] and blatant fiddlesticks at that, because our [Russian] Constitution, even in its maimed, Frankenstein-like version in place today after last year’s notorious amendments, still contains Article 15, which has not been abolished, and Article 15 states that in cases of contradiction between domestic law and international law, international law and international treaties govern. Also, the European Convention on Human Rights Article 46 states that all Council of Europe member States must implement the Court’s final judgments. The Russian Federation signed and ratified this Convention. And now, while continuing to hold Alexei Navalny, Alexei Pichugin and other people who also have Strasbourg [Court] judgments, the Russian authorities are violating the law, violating international law, violating the obligations our country took on as a Council of Europe member.

Source: Echo of Moscow

[1] Translator’s note: English in quotation marks taken from the English translation of The Master and Margarita published here: https://www.masterandmargarita.eu/estore/pdf/eben001_mastermargarita_glenny.pdf