‘People are running from you, Mr. President. Can’t you see?’
The last word of Russian opposition politician Ilya Yashin in court. Full text

Ilya Yashin

21:41, 06.12.2022



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Russian politician and Putin’s critic Ilya Yashin is currently standing trial in Russia accused of spreading “false information” about the Russian army and its actions in Ukraine’s Bucha. Yesterday, the prosecution demanded a nine-year prison sentence for Yashin.

Novaya-Europe publishes his last word in court.

Ladies and gentlemen,

You have to agree that the phrase “the last word of the defendant” sounds very dreary. As if after I speak, they’ll sew my mouth shut and forbid me from speaking forever. 

Everyone understands that this is exactly the point. I am being isolated from society and imprisoned because they want me to be silent. Because our parliament is no longer a place for discussion, and now, Russia has to silently agree with any step its government takes.

But I promise: for as long as I’m alive, I will never make my peace with that. My mission is to tell the truth. I’ve spoken it on city squares, in television studios, in parliament. I will not abandon the truth from behind bars either. As one classic author put it: “Lies are the religion of slaves and masters. Truth is the god of the free man.”

***

First, I want to address the court. Your Honour, I am grateful for the way these court proceedings were organized. You held a transparent trial, open to the media and the public. You did not stop me from speaking freely, nor did you interfere with the work of my lawyers. 

It would seem that you haven’t done anything special: this is how court hearings should be held in every normal country. But this hearing is like a breath of fresh air compared to the scorched earth of the Russian judicial system. And believe me: I appreciate it.

I will be honest with you, Oxana Ivanovna (Goryunova, the judge in Yashin’s trial — translator’s note): you’ve left an unusual impression. I’ve noticed how you listen to the prosecution and the defense with interest, how you react to my words, how you doubt and consider things. 

To the government, you’re just a cog in the system that must fulfil its function with no questions asked. But I see a real person who will take off her gown at the end of the day and go grocery shopping at the same place my mother goes to. And I have no doubt that you and I are concerned about the same problems. I am sure that just like me, you are appalled by this war, and that you pray for this nightmare to end as soon as possible.

Your Honour, I have a principle that I’ve followed for many years now: do what you must, come what may. When the hostilities began, I did not doubt what I should do even for a second.

I should be in Russia. I must speak the truth loudly, and I must stop the bloodshed at any cost. It physically pains me to think about how many people have been killed in this war,

how many lives have been ruined, and how many families have lost their homes. You can’t just let that slide. And I swear — I do not regret anything. It’s better to spend 10 years behind bars as an honest man than quietly burn with shame because of the blood spilt by your government.

Of course, Your Honour, I’m not expecting a miracle here. You know I’m not guilty, but I know that you’re pressured by the system. It is obvious that you will have to issue a guilty verdict. But I hold no ill will toward you, and I don’t wish you anything bad. But try to do everything that is in your power to avoid injustice. Remember that it’s not just my personal fate that depends on your verdict — this verdict is against the part of our society that wants to live a peaceful and civilised life. The part of society that, perhaps, you belong to, Your Honour.

***

I’d also like to use this platform to address Russian President Vladimir Putin. The man who is responsible for this bloodbath, who signed the “military censorship” law and by whose will I am in prison right now.

Mr. Putin, when you look at the consequences of this horrible war, you probably already understand the gravity of the mistake that you made on 24 February. No one greeted our army with flowers. They call us punishers and occupants. Your name is now firmly associated with the words “death” and “destruction”.

You brought on a terrible tragedy for the Ukrainian people, who will probably never forgive us for it. But you’re not just waging a war on Ukrainians — you’re at war with your own citizens, too.

You’re sending off hundreds of thousands of Russians to war. Many will become disabled or go insane from what they’ve seen and gone through. To you, this is just a death toll, a number in a column. But to many families, this is unbearable pain of losing their husbands, fathers, and sons.

You are taking away the Russians’ home.

Hundreds of thousands of our citizens have left their country because they don’t want to kill or be killed. People are running from you, Mr. President. Don’t you see it?

You’re undermining the basis of our economic security. Your switch to war-time economy is turning our country backwards. Tanks and cannons are a priority again, while poverty and lawlessness are now part of our reality. Have you forgotten that this policy already led our country to ruin in the past?

Let this be a voice crying out in the wilderness, but I’m calling on you, Mr. Putin, to stop this madness right now. We need to recognise that our policy on Ukraine is a mistake, to withdraw our troops from its territory

and to move towards a diplomatic solution of the conflict.

Remember that every new day of the war brings new victims. Enough.

***

Finally, I want to address the people who have followed these court proceedings, who have supported me for all these months and who are anxiously waiting for the verdict.

My friends! No matter the verdict issued by the court, no matter how tough the verdict is, this must not break you. I realise how difficult it is for you right now, I realise that you feel hopeless and powerless. But you must not give up.

Please do not give in to despair and don’t forget that this is our country. It is worth fighting for. Be brave, do not retreat in the face of evil. Resist. Stand your ground — for your street, for your city. And most importantly — be there for each other. There are much more of us than you think, and we are an enormous power.

And don’t worry about me. I promise that I will endure all my tribulations without complaint and that I will not lose my integrity. In turn, please promise me that you won’t lose your optimism and won’t forget how to smile. Because the exact moment we lose our ability to find joy in life, they will win.

Believe me, Russia will be free and happy.