Two New Khodorkovskys? 06/28/2010
Dr. Sakharov has seen this before
In 2007, Moscow’s Sakharov Center put on a showcase of previously banned artwork called ‘Forbidden Art.' Its purpose was to highlight the detrimental effects of hard-line religious orthodoxy on Russia’s intellectual climate. Unfortunately, prosecutors have come to the defense of the Orthodox Church and its patrons in the Kremlin, charging the organizers of the exhibition, Yuri Samodurov and Andrei Yerofeev, with "debasing the religious beliefs of citizens and inciting religious hatred." If they are convicted, they will face a three-year prison term.
Such a draconian prospect has evoked outrage from many Russian intellectuals, including Andrei Zorin, a leading academic at Oxford University. A money quote from his open letter to polit.ru: “There can be no doubt that a guilty verdict will dramatically change the political climate in Russia and deal a powerful, if not a mortal, blow to the much-hyped modernization plans of President Dmitri Medvedev.”
Click here to read the entire letter.
Such a draconian prospect has evoked outrage from many Russian intellectuals, including Andrei Zorin, a leading academic at Oxford University. A money quote from his open letter to polit.ru: “There can be no doubt that a guilty verdict will dramatically change the political climate in Russia and deal a powerful, if not a mortal, blow to the much-hyped modernization plans of President Dmitri Medvedev.”
Click here to read the entire letter.
Comments
Leave a Reply
Loading
