Grigory Yavlinsky web-site, 30.10.2016

It was not so long ago. In our country. This happened to our grandfathers and great-grandfathers. Millions of innocent people fell victims of political terror on the part of their own state. The Bolshevik system was protecting itself destroying the brightest, bravest and most educated, the best people of the country. However, to this day, all these crimes have not been recognised as such politically, the state have not given its assessment to Bolshevism and Stalinism and corresponding conclusions have not been made. On the contrary, the atmosphere of arbitrary rule on the part of the state and the risk of recurrence of political reprisals are becoming more pronounced. The murders of [oppositional politician] Boris Nemtsov and [journalist and human rights activist] Anna Politkovskaya are another proof of this.

Modern Russia has almost no obstacles for a repeat of that terrible tragedy in some new hybrid form. Absolute respect of human rights, observance of the Constitution, public control over the state repressive mechanisms and free media should be the key elements of protecting the society from political terror. But today all these norms envisaged by the Russian law have practically ceased functioning, and a wave of reaction has been growing. The country can not become a safe and modern society without honest and comprehensive understanding of the tragedy that happened to our people and state legal assessment of these crimes. Sooner or later we will have to do it.

May the memory of all innocent victims last forever…