There are situations in which you have to act quickly, or something irreversible will happen. At moments like these, decisions must be made instantly, because those decisions can change everything. This is exactly such a moment right now.
We have decided not to wait until 500,000 people sign up on our website. Events are unfolding too quickly and too badly. We can no longer wait or postpone this. An extreme situation requires extreme decisions. We are announcing the rally now.
Wednesday, April 21, 7:00 p.m., central squares in cities across Russia.
Have you ever seen a person being killed with your own eyes? You have. You are seeing it right now. And no matter how much you may want to detach yourself, not think about it, change the subject—that does not change the fact that Alexei Navalny is being killed. In a horrifying way. Before all of our eyes.
And whether we want it or not, each of us faces the same question: are we prepared to do something to save the life of a man who has risked his for us for many years?
The Anti-Corruption Foundation turns 10 this year. Ten years ago, we came together to tell you how the corrupt, deceitful United Russia politicians (members of the Kremlin’s ruling party) really live on our money. We changed the life of every official forever and stirred up their cozy nests of corruption. They never liked that, and now they are furious.
All these years, we have lived under maximum pressure. Constant searches, arrests, criminal cases, bank account freezes, late-night interrogations, relatives taken hostage. And yet even under this pressure, we managed to survive—and not just survive: new investigations kept coming out, and our candidates won elections. Putin only grew angrier.
The stakes rose sharply last year, when Navalny was poisoned with Novichok (a Soviet-developed nerve agent). But he survived, investigated his own poisoning, spoke to the man sent to kill him, and then returned to Russia to continue his political work. Putin could not forgive that and made Alexei his hostage.
Navalny is now in a penal colony, and his life is hanging by a thread. He has serious health problems, but doctors are not being allowed to see him. He has been on hunger strike for several weeks, demanding medical care. His condition is critical. We do not know how much longer he can hold out. But it is clear that we have no time.
On Friday, April 16, the Moscow prosecutor’s office filed a lawsuit seeking to have the Anti-Corruption Foundation and Navalny’s regional headquarters declared extremist organizations. If we do not respond in any way, there is no doubt that the court will grant that request—and very quickly.
What does that mean? It means that we will, in effect, be equated with terrorists.
It means that anyone who says, “I work for Navalny’s headquarters” or “I work for the Anti-Corruption Foundation” could be sent to prison for up to six years. It means that any attempt to continue our work—for example, publishing new investigations—could result in anyone involved being imprisoned for up to 10 years.
Just think about it: there is Hezbollah, an organization responsible for dozens of terrorist attacks. And it is invited to Moscow for official talks. And then there is the Anti-Corruption Foundation and the headquarters, which are simply fighting to ensure that the law is upheld in Russia. But that is no longer allowed. Now it is extremism. Putin is ready to speak to murderers as an equal because he is a murderer himself. But he hates those who fight for freedom and who want to live in a happy Russia. And in that hatred, he has already reached the limit.
Why this is happening right now is easy to understand. Trust in Putin is falling, and the influence of television is growing weaker and weaker. Living standards are declining, prices are rising, and people’s eyes are opening. The approval rating of United Russia, the very party Putin relies on, is falling lower and lower, in part thanks to our work. That is why Putin has launched this desperate attack.
If we stay silent now, the darkest time will begin for free people. Russia will sink into total darkness. Peaceful political activity in Russia will become impossible. Anyone who disagrees with the current regime will be labeled an extremist. Anyone who refuses to accept that Putin and his gang of thieves have seized power will be declared an enemy of the state.
Talking about corruption is a crime. Fighting for your rights is a crime. Telling the truth is a crime. Anyone who wants to live in a free country is a potential criminal. Anyone unhappy about anything—from hybrid wars to tiny pensions—is a criminal. When Putin decided to declare us extremists, he was effectively sending each of you a message: you are dangerous people. You are frightening people. In Russia, people like you are simply not wanted.
But we need Russia. We want to live in a happy country where there are no political prisoners, where political opponents are not killed or tortured in prison. There is nowhere left for us to retreat.
This Wednesday, April 21, at 7:00 p.m. local time, we call on people across the country to come out to rallies. Invite everyone you know and go to your city’s central square. Travel to the biggest city you can reach by Wednesday evening: from a district center to the regional capital, from the Moscow suburbs to Moscow.
Moscow, April 21, 7:00 p.m., Manezhnaya Square.
St. Petersburg, April 21, 7:00 p.m., Palace Square.
Alexei Navalny’s life and Russia’s future depend on how many citizens take to the streets this Wednesday. And the three days before the rally are needed to make sure absolutely everyone hears about it. Talk about it everywhere you can. Speak to everyone you can reach. Put up flyers in your apartment building, post on social media, call your relatives and tell them what is happening. Absolutely everyone can do something right now to save Alexei. Do not miss this chance—there may not be another.
Once, when Alexei Navalny was just beginning his political journey, he gave his blog this title: “The Final Battle Between Good and Neutrality.” Now, when Putin is killing Navalny for the second time before all of Russia’s eyes, and the authorities are branding everyone who opposes it an extremist, we are forced to amend that slogan. Ahead lies a very difficult final battle between normal people and absolute evil.
If you do not want the country to sink окончательно into darkness, this is your last chance to stop it.