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Since 2019 Azat Miftakhov has been imprisoned by the authorities of the Russian Federation. Azat is a young Mathematician and doctoral student at the Lomonosov Moscow State University, and an Anarchist activist. He was sent to pre-trial detention for two years before being sentenced to a six-year prison term on trumped-up charges based on false testimony acquired through torture.
In fact, one of the two accusers whose testimony alleged that Azat threw a smoke grenade through the window of the office of United Russia, the political party of Putin, was conveniently found to have died before a cross-examination could take place.
A third "witness" is now a refuge in France and in March 2023 wrote to the online journal Mediapart, describing the torture he received by the FSB to secure a denunciation of Azat. Currently, that testimony has not been used against Azat, but it could form the basis of a future persecution.
Statements of support demanding Azat's release come from all over the world and have multiplied and include Non Governmental Organisations like Memorial and Human Rights Watch, intellectuals, Russian academics, over 2,500 Mathematicians from in 2022 and Mathematical societies in France, Italy, Brazil, the USA, and union activists in several unions including the Russian University Solidarity union.
While his release is supposed to happen any day between now and September 2023, we fear based on the information we have received that the Russian security services are plotting fresh charges against him to keep this university student in prison for years to come.
For freedom of expression in Russia
For Human Rights
Azat must be freed
The Russian Federation has invaded Ukraine and is increasing the risk of a widespread escalation. We, the defenders of peace, consider the freedom of expression of the Russian people and the freedom of expression of all people's involved in is the decisive question to find a way out for the peoples of Ukraine and Russia.
We, university students, intellectual, political activists, union members, elected representatives, association officials, journalists, citizens etc, in diversity of our opinions and activities - forewarned by the Russian student group FreeAzat, add our voices to those already expressed across the world. We solemnly demand that the government of the Russian Federation release Azat.
Links to show support (in French)
Please add your voice:
First list of signatories:
https://blogs.mediapart.fr/solidarite-freeazat/blog/020623/liberte-pour-azat-miftakhov
Second list of signatories:
A video made by supporters of Azat explaining the case in greater detail.
Some additional context
Here is some additional information. Originally in 2019 Azat Miftakhov was arrested on a charge of manufacturing explosives. He was detained in a police station for three days and was tortured. Since he still refused to co-operate and maintained his innocence, he was released due to lack of evidence. But before his release was processed, new charges against him relating to allegedly damaging a United Russia party office were filed based on the testimony of several people who were also tortured.
Reddebrek
Update
On Monday, the 4th of September, Azat Miftakhov completed his sentence at IK-17, a Penal Colony in the Kirov region. Minutes later he was charged with a fresh allegation of justifying terrorism and after refusing to plead guilty was sent to another pre-trail detention centre to await sentencing. He had five minutes to talk to his wife and friends before being taken away by the FSB.
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