We, Russian political prisoners, address all foreign political leaders who are not indifferent to the suffering inflicted on some for their political beliefs. There are at least 10,000 of us: Russian political prisoners and Ukrainian civilians held hostage. We have one thing in common: We were punished for taking a civic stand.

The word "justice" – whether referring to the judicial system or social justice – has lost all meaning in Russia, where anyone can end up behind bars simply for having the courage to think critically. Repressive laws, designed to eliminate all dissent, have been systematically strengthened since 2012. Between 2018 and 2022, more than 50 such laws were passed, with over 60 additional laws enacted since February 2022, when Russian troops began their attempted invasion of Ukraine.

In political trials in Russia, defendants are never found not guilty. Sentences have become increasingly harsh – 10, 15 or even 20 years in prison no longer surprise anyone. Within the Douma [the lower house of the Russian parliament], there are frequent calls to reinstate the death penalty.

Acts of torture

Even before, the chances of receiving a fair trial in such cases were slim, but these avenues for appeal disappeared entirely in 2022, when Russia refused to comply with decisions from the European Court of Human Rights. In today's Russia, human rights institutions have been replaced by bodies that merely pretend to defend rights.

As a result, the health and lives of detainees are under threat; acts of torture or violence against them are rarely investigated or prosecuted. Political prisoners are often held under stricter conditions than others, and are denied the possibility of requesting sentence reductions or improved detention conditions. A common tactic is to open a new case against a prisoner based on denunciation by another convicted person.

Despite all this, we have not lost our voices and have not been forgotten. We maintain our civic positions, which we believe is important to state clearly. We call on both sides of the current negotiations – Russia and Ukraine – to immediately proceed with an exchange of military and civilian prisoners, following the "all for all" principle. This exchange must include Ukrainian civilian hostages.

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