On October 30, 1974, political prisoners Kronid Lyubarsky and Alexei Murzhenko, in Dubravlag (a Soviet labor camp complex), established Political Prisoner Day in order to secure recognition of political prisoner status, lift restrictions on correspondence, parcels and deliveries, increase the number of visits with relatives, and obtain proper medical care.
The main gesture of solidarity on that day was a symbolic one-day hunger strike, observed not only by political prisoners but also by many people on the outside.
The initiative quickly gained support, as you can see from the memoirs of political prisoners in the USSR. Eating on that day was considered “the last thing one should do.” This was despite the fact that prison administrations across the country punished everyone who refused food on that day by throwing them into punishment cells and solitary confinement.
The Soviet system collapsed, and for a time in our history, there were no political prisoners left in Russia.
Instead of Political Prisoner Day, a Day of Remembrance for the Victims of Political Repression began to be observed. The logic was simple: why have a day for political prisoners if we have no political prisoners? Let it be a day of memory and history.
For many years, the main event associated with this day was the remarkable annual action held on the eve of it, “Returning the Names.” People stood in enormous lines to read out one or two randomly chosen names from the unimaginably vast list of our fellow citizens who had been unjustly thrown into prison, sent to camps, or executed.
“Returning the Names” was organized by Memorial, the human rights and educational society.
Today, in 2023, Memorial no longer exists; it has officially been liquidated by the authorities. And political prisoners exist again—many of them. The Russian authorities are returning to their roots: arrests, repression, closed trials, and blatant lawlessness under the signboard of “the court.”
In this situation, we believe it is right for us, too, to return to our roots and traditions.
We are holding this action on October 30 and restoring the former name, once again relevant today: “Political Prisoner Day.”
The world’s dictators and tyrants never tire of emphasizing how close they are to one another. It is only right for political prisoners in all countries to show solidarity as well. That is why we consider Political Prisoner Day an international day.
We call on all political prisoners, and all those who want to express their support for them, to join this action and refrain from eating on that day.
Vladimir Kara-Murza Alexei Navalny Vadim Ostanin Lilia Chanysheva Daniil Kholodny Ilya Yashin