BORIS KAGARLITSKY, MOSCOW
CONTROL OF JUSTICE
Nobody knows how many there are political prisoners in Russia. Most likely, the figure is lower than the opposition commentators say it is, but, of course, higher than the officials think, as the latter are sure that there are no political prisoners in Russia at all.
However, it looks like, besides political prisoners, a new kind of prisoner appears in Russia – the social one.
Valentin Urusov, a trade union activist from the Russian region Yakutia, is a typical example. There are no evidences that Mr. Urusov has ever come out against the current regime or schemed something against the authorities. More than that, there are no signs that the government functionaries have schemed something against Valentin Urusov. He is a member of “Sotsprof” trade union, which is considered to be quite loyal to the Kremlin, and yet, he is in prison now.
Trade union leaders are convincing that Valentin Urusov was arrested because of his conflict with ALROSA company where he had tried to make the workers go on strike. Then there appeared the drugs storage case which was forged in such a clumsy way that even the Yakut Supreme Court met the appeal of the sentence. Valentin Urusov was released in the court hall.
The lawyers of the accused produced cogent arguments proving that drugs had been planted on Valentin Urusov, which is, unfortunately, widespread practice in Russia. Mr. Urusov was being arrested in a secret way since its organizers were afraid of potential eyewitnesses of the arrest. Valentin Urusov was pushed into the police car, handcuffs were put on him and he was taken out of the village of Udachniy.
It would seem that the story ended happily and the Russian justice showed that it was sensible. However, on June 26 the court of the village of Udachniy, during the retrial, sentenced the trade union leader to six years in prison again. The persistence of the local judges, who conflict with both the public opinion and the republic’s Supreme Court, is explainable. Probably, for the judges the conflict between the defendant and the powerful corporation became a more weighty argument than the most convincing speeches by the lawyers.
For many people in Russia and abroad Valentin Urusov case symbolizes the working people’s fight for their rights. Today the discharge of the trade union leader is not only an issue concerning the leader personally or the inhabitants of Udachniy. Valentin Urusov case united the leaders of Russia’s trade union movement, who competed with each other, the left organizations’ activists and human rights advocates.
Valentin Urusov case is just one of the troubles that recently befell the trade union activists and leaders. Fierce pressure is put on MPRA automobile industry trade union. The trade union leaders were assaulted several times, which was discussed by Vladimir Putin and Berthold Huber, President of the International Metal-Worker Federation.
The further development of Valentin Urusov case will show what tendencies prevail in the state and in the society. The decision by Yakut Supreme Court indicated that under certain circumstances even the Russian justice can be fair. It is another matter that not only the lawyers’ speeches, but also the street protests, international indignation and public discussion of the issue in the press were likely to play their role. For the central authorities the arrest of the trade union leader in Yakutia is another problem that fell to them. The arrest of the activist, which had been caused by a local conflict, gave rise to the public reaction that spread far beyond Yakutia.
Discharge of a man is not the main thing in Valentin Urusov case. The recent conflict in a small town of Pikalevo, where the inhabitants made the central authorities intervene in the local economic situation through mass protests, became a precedent for growing number (dozens or, maybe, hundreds) of similar conflicts in all Russia. In the same way Valentin Urusov case is getting a test showing what is in store for the labor movement activists and leaders. Valentin Urusov’s release in the near future would demonstrate that solidarity is effective and repressions are ineffective.
However if he continues to be behind bars, the result will not be completely different. I believe that thousands of people will come to the conclusion that Russia’s judicial system is hopeless and that it is impossible to seek the truth legally. Today the majority of population trusts at least the central authorities, but the people can stop trusting them.
Boris Kagarlitsky is a Director of the Institute of Globalization and Social Movements
July 30, 2009
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