dear friends tomorrow Sept 16 2023 we are calling for an* International Day of Solidarity with Boris *Kagarlitsky, a prominent Russian socialist thinker arrested last July. Please circulate* - *especially among those in the academic community. It is urgent and needed! And if you are in Paris, join the Arkadiy Kots concert on Oct. 1st *We call for the immediate release of Kagarlitsky and Miftakov and express solidarity with all political prisoners in Russia arrested for their antiwar and antiregime views.* in solidarity, and rage alessandra
Dear comrades close and far,
we are the Arkadiy Kots Band - Russian protest punk group standing against Putin’s dictatorship and his war in Ukraine. We are calling for your solidarity to stand with us in support of Boris Kagarlitsky and Azat Miftakhov. Both of them have been our dear friends and comrades for many years.
Here are the cases of Boris and Azat.
Boris Kagarlitsky (65 years old), prominent Russian socialist thinker, was arrested in Moscow on July 25, 2023 on fabricated charges accusing him of "justifying terrorism".
Kagarlitsky is an academic and refined scholar whose sociological and philosophical work is internationally well known. His articles, books, and interviews are published in many languages. Since February 2022 he has consistently denounced the Russian state aggression against Ukraine, underscoring how this horrifying war causes unspeakable harm not only to the Ukrainian people, but also to ordinary Russians. This is the real reason behind his incarceration.
He chose to stay in Russia, where he has resisted the militarization narrative and demanded for radical change, especially through the YouTube channel "Rabkor" that he run.
Boris Kagarlitsky is now among the dozens of thousands of Russians subjected to state repression.
The solidarity campaign has received already over 1200 signatures in support of Boris, including Jeremy Corbyn, Slavoj Žižek, Alex Callinicos, Jean-Luc Mélenchon, Nadya Tolokonnikova, Etienne Balibar among others. ~~~~~~
This is Arkady Kots Band’s dub-recital piece based on Boris’s open letter to the international comrades where he clarifies his position against the war in Ukraine. Arkadiy Kots band \\ Boris Kagarlitsky \\ A plea to my Western progressive friends
https://youtu.be/1bpJ_wMriIc?si=cYrmspAN15mVI5gI
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Azat Miftakhov (30 years old ) is a Tatar-Russian mathematician and anarchist convicted for acts of hooliganism against the United Russia ruling party. After a false accusation and an absurd trial, he was convicted and sentenced for 6 years in prison.
While imprisoned, Azat endured torture, threats, and other mistreatment by the Russian authorities.
On September 4, 2023, immediately upon his release from the correctional colony, Azat was arrested again by the FSB agents.
In the past years the broad international scientific community expressed their solidarity with Azat. Harvard University chapter of Scholars at Risk awarded Azat a *Scholars at Risk Fellowship*. The Fondation Mathématique Jacques Hadamard (FMJH) and the Laboratoire de Mathématiques d’Orsay (LMO) awarded Azat a laurea in "junior scientific visibility" program.
Azat Miftakhov was then named an honorary student of Paris-Saclay University. French Mathematical Society (Société mathématique de France, SMF) also expressed their solidarity with Azat.
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Here is our version of an iconic Italian song, whose lyrics were written by anarchist Belgrado Pedrini in prison in 1968. We dedicate this piece to Azat and other anarchist and antifascist prisoners in Russia and Belorussia, whose drawings you will see in the video. Arkadiy Kots band \ Галеон \ Il Galeone
https://youtu.be/ahmUh7oj7Z8?si=rSWxGzt4_HtSuHXN
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*We call for the immediate release of Kagarlitsky and Miftakov and express solidarity with all political prisoners in Russia arrested for their antiwar and antiregime views.*
Our goal is to raise awareness and reinforce the planetary network of solidarity.
Take action for Boris Kagarlitsky and Azat Miftakhov!
Share this letter, sign a petition, come to action, organize (single picketing or in a group, on your street or in front of the Russian embassy), spread the word!
Sept 16, 2023 – * International Day of Solidarity with Boris*
Oct 1, 2023, 19:30 pm – *concert of Arkadiy Kots band in solidarity with Azat in Paris (venue: **Au Soleil de la Butte, 32 Rue Muller)*
Learn more about their cases:
https://caseazatmiftakhov.org/
YOURS, COMRADELY
ARKADIY KOTS BAND
