Dear Friends,
Since last week, they have actually blocked my correspondence through the FSIN-Letter: before the weekend, instead of letters, they brought a pack of blank forms for an answer (this happens when the letters didn't pass the censorship), and after the weekend - notifications that my answers has not passed censorship either. This also applies to correspondence with relatives and friends. My letters (in both directions) were regularly "lost" before - but now it seems to have taken on a systemic character.
The law provides for quite specific grounds for censoring prison letters (“information that may interfere with the establishment of the truth in a criminal case or contribute to the commission of a crime, executed in secret writing, cipher, containing top secret or other classified information protected by law” - I, of course, had none of this) , but the censor of SIZO-5, apparently, decided to take on the censorship in the field of political views, historical analysis and literary style as well.
However, most likely, they simply ordered “from above” to finish with this latitude for political prisoners. I know that many fellow political prisoners have the same situation with correspondence. So Now we have been equated with the dissidents of the Soviet era in this issue too. Natan Sharansky in his book “I shall feat no evil” has a photo of a letter that his wife sent him to prison - all lines, except for the name and address, are smeared with ink. Technology has changed since then, the essence, alas, has remained the same.
Therefore, I want to write here: thank you so much for your letters, for the support and solidarity that I always feel - even if I myself cannot read and answer them. And most importantly, don't lose hope. Everything will definitely end. As a historian, I promise 😉
Always yours,
Vladimir Kara-Murza
Since last week, they have actually blocked my correspondence through the FSIN-Letter: before the weekend, instead of letters, they brought a pack of blank forms for an answer (this happens when the letters didn't pass the censorship), and after the weekend - notifications that my answers has not passed censorship either. This also applies to correspondence with relatives and friends. My letters (in both directions) were regularly "lost" before - but now it seems to have taken on a systemic character.
The law provides for quite specific grounds for censoring prison letters (“information that may interfere with the establishment of the truth in a criminal case or contribute to the commission of a crime, executed in secret writing, cipher, containing top secret or other classified information protected by law” - I, of course, had none of this) , but the censor of SIZO-5, apparently, decided to take on the censorship in the field of political views, historical analysis and literary style as well.
However, most likely, they simply ordered “from above” to finish with this latitude for political prisoners. I know that many fellow political prisoners have the same situation with correspondence. So Now we have been equated with the dissidents of the Soviet era in this issue too. Natan Sharansky in his book “I shall feat no evil” has a photo of a letter that his wife sent him to prison - all lines, except for the name and address, are smeared with ink. Technology has changed since then, the essence, alas, has remained the same.
Therefore, I want to write here: thank you so much for your letters, for the support and solidarity that I always feel - even if I myself cannot read and answer them. And most importantly, don't lose hope. Everything will definitely end. As a historian, I promise 😉
Always yours,
Vladimir Kara-Murza