I look at this and am astonished. What more proof is needed that Russia’s prison system should not be reformed, but completely torn down and rebuilt from scratch?
Yesterday, the Presidium of the Supreme Court overturned Ildar Dadin’s sentence. His term was not reduced, and he was not released on parole. This was the annulment of his conviction and recognition of his right to rehabilitation.
The ruling took effect immediately; from that very second, Dadin was free.
Then I go on Twitter and see Dadin’s wife, who had gone to meet her husband, writing:
Then this news comes in:
This is just unbelievable. The paperwork hasn’t arrived, so a person WITHOUT A CONVICTION will sit in prison for a couple more days.
Of course, some people will say: that’s the procedure, they can’t release him without the paperwork.
That’s nonsense. They absolutely should release him. Yesterday, Dadin was a participant in an official court proceeding (even though he personally refused to appear by video link). That proceeding took place over an official communications channel.
In other words, the state officially established that:
On one end of the line was Dadin, not Brad Pitt.
On the other end was the Presidium of the Supreme Court, not employees of the Anti-Corruption Foundation (ACF), dressed up in judges’ robes.
After that, the hearing began. The presiding judge said: overturn the conviction, release Dadin.
A perfectly formal act carried out over a formal communications channel.
What other paperwork could possibly be needed here? What kind of idiocy is this?
You could take this even further: how does a piece of paper prove anything more to the prison colony administration than a live video link with the Presidium of the Supreme Court? Maybe they should wait another week for a second piece of paper confirming the authenticity of the first.
And let me stress this again: he was not released on parole, which would imply some procedural process. His conviction was overturned; from that very second, he became a person with no criminal record and legally innocent.
It’s a grotesque system that neither rehabilitates criminals, nor protects society, nor guarantees the rights of the innocent, nor can it properly carry out court decisions.
In the beautiful Russia of the future, the Federal Penitentiary Service (FSIN) will be rebuilt completely, from the ground up.
P.S. Don’t forget that the march is on Sunday:
People