Alexey Gorinov's last word in court: "Stop killing, stop the war!"
https://memorialcenter.org/news/poslednee-slovo-alekseya-gorinova-v-sude
29 NOV 2024
Today, the Vladimir Garrison Military Court will issue a decision on a new criminal case against deputy Alexey Gorinov. At the hearing, Alexey made his final statement — we are publishing his speech in full.
"All my life I have been an opponent of aggression, violence, war, devoting it exclusively to peaceful pursuits: science, teaching, education, management, public activities as a deputy, human rights activist, member of the election commission and controller of the electoral process. And I never thought that I would live to see such a level of degradation of the political system of my country, its foreign policy, when ordinary citizens, who already number in the thousands, who advocate peace, against war, would be accused of slandering the Armed Forces and justifying terrorism and would be tried.
The third year of the war is coming to an end, the third year of victims and destruction on European territory unseen since World War II, the deprivation and suffering of millions of people. This cannot be kept silent.
Back in late April, our former Minister of Defense announced the losses of the Ukrainian side in the armed conflict - 500 thousand people. Think about this figure! And what losses did Russia suffer then, which, according to official information, is constantly successfully advancing along the entire front? We still don’t know. And who will answer for this? What is it all for?
Our government and those who support it in its militaristic aspirations wanted this war so much - and now it has come to our land. I want to ask them: has our life become better? Is this how you understand the well-being and security of our country and its population? Or did you not expect such a development of the situation in your calculations? But for now, it is not those who started the war, continue to kill, promote war and engage in mercenary activities who have to answer, but us, ordinary citizens of Russia, who raise our voices against war, for peace. To answer, paying with our freedom, and for some, with their lives.
I belong to the outgoing generation of people whose parents participated in World War II or survived it with all its hardships. The generation that has already passed bequeathed to us to protect peace with all our might, as the most valuable thing on Earth for all its inhabitants. But we have neglected its precepts and devalued our memory of these people and the victims of that war.
My guilt is that I, as a citizen of my country, allowed this war to happen and was unable to stop it. And I ask that this be noted in the verdict.
But I would like my guilt and responsibility to be shared with me by the organizers, participants, supporters of the war, as well as the persecutors of those who advocate peace. I continue to live with the hope that this will happen someday. In the meantime, I ask the residents of Ukraine and my fellow citizens who suffered from the war to forgive me.
In the context of the case in which I was accused and tried for expressing the opinion that it is necessary to seek an end to the war, I have fully expressed my attitude to this vile human activity. I can only say that violence, aggression, only generate counter-violence and nothing more. This is the true cause of our troubles, suffering, our senseless sacrifices, the destruction of civilian and industrial infrastructure, our homes.
Let's stop this bloody, unnecessary slaughter - neither for us, nor for the people of Ukraine. Isn't it time to leave our neighbors alone and deal with our internal problems, which are growing like a snowball. We have long ago proven to the whole world how brave, resilient and peace-loving we are. So maybe that's enough?
L.N. Tolstoy - from a letter to his son (1904):
“For me, the madness and criminality of war are so clear that I can see nothing in it except this madness and criminality.”
I also join and subscribe to these words of our great compatriot. Join us too!
