The case of Eduard Limonov: Truth or fiction?

The trial of a well-known Russian writer, the leader of the National Bolshevik Party Eduard Limonov, will take place in the Saratov district court. Limonov was detained on April 7 last year in the Russian republic of Altay in connection with the arrest of four members of Limonov’s party when they were purchasing weapons. However, no weapon was found at Limonov’s house. One of those detained eventually testified against his leader. The party held the “traitor” up to shame at once, and the rest of them, including Limonov himself, insist that the charges that filed against them are far fetched.

Limonov is charged with terrorism, the organization of an illegal armed group, and the illegal purchase of weapons. The writer’s defense attorney insists that Limonov’s case should be considered not in the city of Saratov but in Moscow, or at least in the Moscow region. However, the Supreme Court sent the case to Saratov, because the members of Limonov’s party were detained there. Limonov’s lawyer Sergey Belyak filed a petition to send the case to Moscow.

In the meantime, representatives of Russian patriotic intellectuals call upon Russian senior officials to pay attention to Limonov’s trial, thinking that the litigation will raise a vivid reaction in society. The newspaper Den Literatury (Day of Literature) published an open letter to the Prosecutor General of Russia, Vladimir Ustinov, which was signed by 32 people.

“A well-known Russian writer Eduard Limonov has been kept in prison for a year already without any investigation. Most likely, the law-enforcement bodies have not been able to present any evidence to prove Limonov's guilt. We are certain that the illegal acts that have been ascribed to a living classic writer did not at all happen in reality. We writers and artists, representing Russian culture abroad, call upon you to stop this fake case and release Limonov.” PRAVDA.Ru reported on an unexampled act was by Sergey Shargunov, a student of the journalistic department of Moscow State University. Sergey was the winner of a national award in the field of literature, Debut-2001 ($2000), and he transferred this whole sum to Eduard Limonov. Sergey said that the decision did not come easy for him, but he decided to exercise his independence. Sergey believes that Limonov should be released, so two thousand dollars was his contribution: “It is not about the money, it is about my attempt to make people pay attention to Eduard Limonov’s fate.”

Eduard Limonov is likely to spend 20 years in prison.

Peter Bely PRAVDA.Ru

Translated by Dmitry Sudakov