After initially being released from prison in December, Russian leftist Boris Kagarlitsky has now been sentenced to five years in prison. DiEM25 calls for his immediate release as part of the international solidarity ‘Free Boris’ campaign 

Boris Kagarlitsky (65) is a prominent leftist thinker, author, and sociologist. He is an associate of the Transnational Institute (TNI) and was – before his persecution in Russia – a professor at the Theodor Shanin’s Moscow Higher School for Social and Economic Sciences. He is also the creator of Rabkor, an up-and-coming Russian left-wing media organization.

Kagarlitsky was initially arrested on the July 26, 2023. The Russian state charged him with “justifying terrorism”, a term commonly used in Russia to silence the critics of the current regime.

In response to his arrest, DiEM25 joined a wide international solidarity campaign that demanded his release. In December, the campaign seemed to have achieved the unimaginable: Kagarlitsky was released from jail and was ‘merely’ sentenced to a fine of 600,000 rubles, around 6,000 euros.

The story took a dark turn this week when, on February 13 of this year, Kagarlitsky was called to appear in court again. The prosecution considered the sentence too lenient. Later that day, he was arrested in the courthouse and was sentenced to five years in prison.

Kagarlitsky’s sentence not only shows the extent of state repressions in Russia but is also a clear attack on the Russian and international left. DiEM25 calls for an immediate release of Kagarlitsky and stands in solidarity with political prisoners worldwide.

You can join the campaign for his release by clicking here.

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