The Case of the “New Revolutionary Alternative”
(NRA)
With this issue of Left.ru we are beginning a systematic highlight of the so-called “Case of the NRA”, which forms a pattern, after the “Case of Krasnodar” (tr: see http://flag.blackened.net/agony/krasnodar.html), the “Case of A. Sokolov”, and the “Case of the RVC” (tr.: Revolutionary Military Council), now this “Case of Left Terrorism in Russia”. Not fewer than 7 young people, belonging to left circles, from green anarchists to Komsomol (tr: Young Communist League) were accused of organizing several terrorist acts and membership in the organization named “The New Revolutionary Alternative”. The “Case of the HRA” is deliberately surrounded by a cloud of smoke by the investigative organs. The accused refused to confess guilt and refused to admit even the existence of an organization named “The New Revolutionary Alternative”. No programmatic document of the NRA has come to light, which is most uncharacteristic of left organizations. One of the arrested – Larisa Shchiptsova (married name Romanova), had already served a term for the obviously fabricated “Krasnodar Case.” Arrested in the same case was Ilya Romanov (husband of Larisa) and Alexandr Biryukov for refusal to cooperate with the detectives who proclaimed them to be “deranged” and condemned them to forced treatment, which can be characterized as nothing other than punitive psychiatry. Almost all of those arrested in the case are young women, suffering severe illness, or with very young children. Clearly, this is why they were arrested; the detectives hoped that the women, sick and fearful for the fate of their children, might give in to pressure and provide the evidence necessary to convict them and their comrades. The weekly “Left Russia” (Left.ru) joins in this campaign to defend the political prisoners arrested in the “Case of the HRA”. We will publish letters of the political prisoners and information about the progress of the case, reference and analytical material on the case and other analogous “cases”. We believe that, beginning with the “Krasnodar Case”, the repressive organs of the bourgeois Russian state have started down the path of political provocation with the goal of developing new mechanisms for the ruthless suppression of left opposition in Russia, and that the “Case of the NRA” is just one of the links in the chain of this provocation. The youth passing through the ordeal of the “Case of the NRA” (as similarly in the “Krasnodar Case”), were Komsomol members, anarchists, ecological activists, and socialist activists not affiliated with any organization, are placed in the role of “guinea pigs” of the bourgeois regime. If the methods of political repression, which are applied to them are successful, the regime will extend these methods to the entire left. Therefore, each who considers himself or herself an opponent of capitalism, should join the campaign for the freedom of the new political prisoners in Russia. [Tr: A long letter detailing the internal Russian political scene, written to the Anarchist Newspaper “Rights and Freedom” is omitted from this translation. Address by Comrades from Ukraine In this moment activists of various social organizations and initiatives are held in Russian prisons, accused of membership in the semi-mythical New Revolutionary Alternative (NRA), in regard to which a case (No. 772) has been brought, and is being diligently inflated by the Russian special services. The connection of the accused to the NRA has not been proven, and they themselves deny membership in the NRA and participation in its actions. In actual fact, these young people who now find themselves in prison torture chambers, participated before their arrest in various projects: Civil Rights, Ecological, Anti-War, Anarchist, Counter-Cultural, and some of them are members of the PKSM(b) [tr: Revolutionary Communist League of Youth (Bolsheviks)]. It is completely understandable, that such activity was inconvenient for the present governing regime, and, in our view, this was exactly why they found themselves under attack. Political repression in Russia has not yet attained a mass character, but we can not remain indifferent to the fate of even a single person, who finds himself behind bars in a fabricated case and subjected to repression for social and political activity and convictions. The unfounded imprisonment of these young political activists is dangerous for their life and health. Tatanya Sokolova (Nekhorosheva) and Nadezhda Rax are severely ill, and Larisa Romanova is in prison with her small daughter. We Demand: -- Replacement of the repressive measures of detention under guard against the arrested with house arrest. -- Open prosecution of the case, an end to the campaign of disinformation, and the public refutation by the employees of the Special Services of the facts distorted by them. It is possible not to share the views of the detainees and critically assess their activity, but we are merely compelled to show humanism and compassion, in order for our joint activity will result in the victory of Justice and Humanity. The Initiative Group “Defense” You can find more detailed information about political repression and political prisoners in Russia at the addresses: Project of resistance to political repression Committee “Liberation”, “Rights and Freedom” Group of Resistance to Political Repression We turn to you with the request: To support the political prisoners with your letters; Letters to the political prisoners may (and must!) be sent to the addresses: Aleksander Anatolevich Biryukov Olga Aleksandrovna Nevskaya Dimitri Buchenkov (for Ilya Romanov) Larisa Valerievna Romanova At the same address: Nadezhda Georgievna Rax, Tatanya Yurievna Nekhoroshevaya. Letters to prison are more valuable than bread! You can send your inquiries and letters of protest to the following Authorized Staff For Human Rights of the Russian Federation General Prosecutor of the Russian Federation Prosecutor for the city of Moscow Federal Security Service Please send us copies of your letters |