Boris Kargarlitsky Released!

BORIS KARGARLITSKY HAS been outspoken in opposing Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. He was arrested on July 26, 2023 on charges of “justifying terrorism,” supposedly for a social media post about the successful Ukrainian 2022 attack on the bridge linking Crimea to Russia.

In response to his arrest, a broad range of organizations and prominent individuals formed an international committee to demand his release.

At his trial the prosecution requested that Kargarkitsky be found guilty and be sentenced to 5.5 years in prison. Instead he was given a hefty fine of 600,000 rubles (about US$6500). Released from the courthouse, he is forbidden from editing any media outlet or website for two years. (He is the founder of Rabkor, a critical Russian multimedia platform that promotes a democratic perspective.)

Since the end of the Soviet Union, Boris Kagarlitsky has been a prominent democratic socialist critic of the emerging Russian capitalist state and its oligarchy. His many books include Between Class and Discourse: Left Intellectuals in Defense of Capitalism (2020).

Given that Kargarlitsky’s fine is a considerable amount of money, a one-time donation can be sent to Rabkor. The card for international transfers is 4165 9816 0119 6631.

January-February 2024, ATC 228

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