Melanchon and Tolokonnikova signed a letter in defense of Kagarlytskyi

A number of prominent left-wing politicians from different countries, as well as well-known scientists and public figures, signed an open letter in support of the sociologist and publicist Boris Kagarlitsky, who was arrested in Russia. The letter was published in several languages, including Russian, by the Committee of Solidarity with Boris Kagarlitsky, which was created after his arrest and is leading an international campaign for his release.

The case of Kagarlitskyi, who is accused of justifying terrorism because of his post about the war in Ukraine, is called fabricated in the letter. “Boris Kagarlytskyi is an academic scientist whose sociological and philosophical works are well known all over the world… Kagarlytskyi is one of the leading Russian intellectuals, with his activities he made a significant contribution to strengthening his country’s reputation in world science,” the authors of the letter note. They believe that the real reason for the repression against Kagarlytsky was that “since February 2022, he has consistently criticized the aggression against Ukraine and emphasized that this barbaric war is causing monstrous damage not only to the Ukrainian people, but also to ordinary Russians.” The letter also states that Kagarlytskyi is only one of tens of thousands of Russians who were subjected to state repression after the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

Those who signed the letter demanded the release of Kagarlitskyi and expressed solidarity “with all Russian political prisoners arrested for anti-war views.”

Among the signatories of the letter are French politician, leader of the left forces Jean-Luc Mélenchon, former leader of the British Labor Party Jeremy Corbyn, Slovenian philosopher Slavoj Žižek, Pussy Riot participant Nadezhda Tolokonnikova, Russian sociologist Grigory Yudin, human rights activist Lev Ponomarev, members of parliament of western countries, a number of famous scientists, professors of Western universities, including Etienne Balibar and Andrey Yurchak.

• 64-year-old Boris Kagarlytsky is a sociologist, political scientist, director of the Institute of Globalization and Social Movements, a well-known left-wing publicist, and a member of the dissident movement in the USSR. In 2022, he was included in the list of so-called foreign agents by the Ministry of Justice.
• Since the end of July, Kagarlytskyi has been in the Syktyvkar pre-trial detention center in connection with the case of justification of terrorism. The FSB accuses him of “calling for terrorism using the Internet.” Kagarlitskyi’s lawyer, Sergey Erokhov, reported that the political scientist’s post about the explosion on the bridge in Crimea annexed by Russia, which occurred last October, was the reason for the criminal case. In his telegram channel, published on October 8, Kagarlytskyi stated that from a “military point of view” the meaning of the explosion is clear: “there will be problems with supplies.” He also discussed the economic and political consequences of the incident.