Political prisoners in the Soviet Union could not count on the kind of support that society gives to citizens repressed for their beliefs today. Thanks to information openness, we can unite and help them now.
On 12 June – Russia Day – the Russian independent media held a united marathon of solidarity with political prisoners and all Russians who oppose the war in Ukraine. Some sources refer to this day as the Day of Solidarity with Russian Political Prisoners.
The main purpose of the marathon “You are not alone” is to raise funds to support anti-war Russians who have suffered from repression. The money raised during the marathon will be used to pay for legal support for the political prisoners and help their families. Donations can be made now via the direct link: https://12june.online/.
Journalists from a wide variety of opposition resources, including Dozhd TV channel, Mediazona, Meduza, The Insider, Kholod, Important Stories, Support Service and Novaya Gazeta, joined in one common broadcast on the YouTube platform. Popular Politics, Khodorkovsky LIVE, Maxim Katz and Alexandr Plushev also joined the broadcast.
The guests of the marathon included many representatives of anti-war thought. Economist Sergey Guriev, actor Alexander Filippenko, political scientist Ekaterina Shulman, journalists Sergey Smirnov, Masha Borzunova and Ilya Shepelin, associates of Alexei Navalny Kira Yarmysh, Georgy Alburov, Ivan Zhdanov, Lyubov Sobol and his brother Oleg Navalny, writer and publicist Viktor Shenderovich and leader of rock band «ДДТ» Yuri Shevchuk, who recorded a special video message for organisers and spectators.
The stream lasted all day, from 9am to 10pm. In total, the independent media marathon in support of political prisoners «Ты не один» [You are not alone] raised more than 33 million roubles.