In the complex realm of contemporary Russia, social life has become a challenging cauldron of ideas, dissent, and resistance. Under the regime of President Vladimir Putin, the nation’s intellectual circles have traversed a disturbing path, marked by a delicate balance between self-expression and state control.
It has been several weeks since Boris Kagarlitsky, a prominent figure in the Russian Leftist intellectual sphere, a distinguished social scientist and prolific political writer, was arrested. On July 25, an unexpected turn of events unfolded for Kagarlitsky as he was hurriedly arrested and transported over 1000 kilometres away from Moscow to Syktyvkar in the Komi Republic.
On the same day, a local court ruled to detain him for a duration of two months, all emerging from allegations related to his purported support for ‘acts of terrorism’. The potential consequences of this situation loom large, as a guilty verdict from the court could subject Kagarlitsky to the grim possibility of a prison sentence extending up to seven years.
Unwavering commitment to activism
For Kagarlitsky this was not the first episode of incarceration. Way back in 1982, he confronted a hard time when he was jailed due to his association with a group of ‘Young Socialists’ who openly criticised the Soviet bureaucratic leadership. Notwithstanding this setback, Kagarlitsky remained deeply involved in the political sphere, particularly during Gorbachev’s Perestroika era. Throughout these years, he undertook a parallel journey, producing intellectually stimulating works that delved into intricate social and political matters. Over the subsequent three and a half decades, his literary output thrived, resulting in a multitude of influential books and essays that have made significant contributions to the discourse on these critical subjects.
The article first appeared in The Wire. For the full text Read
