Concert in support of political prisoners to be held in Moscow

On November 1, 2009, the Moscow Concert Hall "Mir" (Peace) in Tsvetnoi Boulevard will host a charitable concert "To your and our freedom" in support of political prisoners. Well-known poet-singer Timur Shaov, poets and satirical writers Igor Irteniev, Dmitri Bykov and Vadim Zhuk will take part in the event.

The funds raised from selling tickets will be used to support Russian prisoners of conscience and those innocently convicted. The concert is organized by the Solidarity Union with Political Prisoners with support of the Democratic Movement "Solidarity", Anti-War Club and United Civil Front (UCF).

Among those, whom the organizers of action treat as political prisoners, are the following persons: natives of Chechnya Zara Murtazalieva, Zaurbek Talkhigov, Umar Batukaev and Lors Khamiev; officer Sergey Arakcheev who fought in Chechnya; Krasnodar journalist Sergey Rozhkov; leader of the Rostov Regional UCF Branch Andrei Grekov; Mikhail Klevachov and Vladimir Vlasov, convicted for undermining "Grozny-Moscow" train; and Boris Stomakhin, journalist of the Chechen separatists' website "Kavkaz-Centre".

"Today Russia has dozens political prisoners - people, placed behind bars on political motives, arrested and convicted with obvious violations of the law. All of them need our solidarity; many of them need our help: money on advocates, drugs, to help their families, on food parcels and books. A charitable concert is a demonstration of solidarity and a way to help. Well, and, certainly, it's just good music, just the art of outstanding authors," Sergey Davidis, one of the organizers of the concert and coordinator of the Solidarity Union with Political Prisoners, said to the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent.

A sort of an exhibition will be deployed on the walls of the "Mir" Concert Hall - photos of current political prisoners, their brief biographies, stories about the "cases", which the authorities would not like to treat as political. Also, fundraising will be organized in the foyer in support of political prisoners. Sponsors will receive badges with the image of fire behind prison bars and words "Freedom to political prisoners!"

A complete report on the sum raised during the concert and how the money will be spent will be published in the website "PolitZeki" (politzeki.voinenet.ru). Visitors of the concert will also receive colourful booklets with the information about the event, performers and Russian political prisoners. Human rights literature will be disseminated.