Leonid Nevzlin on Alexey Pichugin’s 60th birthday

Leonid Nevzlin:

Alexey Pichugin turns 60 today. He spent the last 19 of these years in awful, inhuman conditions. He became the main hostage of the Yukos Affair, a victim of an absolutely mafiosi-like, anti-human, and – as the whole civilized world has now realized – aggressive state.

They are apparently intent on keeping Alexei in prison until the very end. Each year, with maniacal stubbornness, the foot soldiers keep trying to get him to testify against us. They use dirty provocations, threats, and blackmail. They are not squeamish – they’ll even use family members.

In these 19 years, Pichugin didn’t betray anyone. He never once complained about anything.
Honestly: I no longer even comprehend where Lesha gets the strength to live through the hell that he experiences every day in the Black Dolphin prison colony for those serving life sentences in Orenburg.

But I know for a fact that the thugs were wrong about him. Lesha is not one of them. Everyone who knows him says he is a deeply religious person. Religious in the true sense of this word, unlike his persecutors.
The worst thing that can happen to Alexey Pichugin is that he is forgotten. I am doing – and will continue to do – everything to make sure this doesn’t happen.

We have two European Court judgments that found Alexey’s trials in Russia unfair and biased. Twice, Strasbourg demanded that the case be re-examined.

As we know, the Kremlin brushed off these judgments. And, with the start of the war in Ukraine, the Kremlin made it impossible for Russians to complain to the European Court.

But I will fight for Alexey until the end. And I urge all those who are not indifferent: please, remember him, talk about him.

Alexey, I wish you lots of strength and the best of health to you and your family.
Happy 60th to one of the most courageous and pure-hearted people.