‘I have no choice but to live up’ Yekaterinburg’s ex-mayor Evgeny Roizman, tried for ‘discrediting the military,’ finds strength in community in court
In Yekaterinburg, the city’s former mayor Evgeny Roizman is on trial for allegedly “discrediting” the Russian armed forces. Until his arrest on August 24, 2022, Roizman was one of the few remaining opposition politicians still free in Russia, while openly condemning the invasion of Ukraine. The prosecution didn’t ask for a real prison term for the former mayor, petitioning instead for a fine of 260,000 rubles (about $3,200 in today’s money). During the final court hearing today, Roizman addressed the court. Meduza has transcribed his allocution. Our abridged translation preserves the community-based argument Roizman was just beginning to advance before being cut short by the judge.
Evgeny Roizman: I would like to thank everyone who supported me. At first, these were the wonderful musicians Boris Grebenshchikov, Andrey Makarevich, Yury Shevchuk, and Alla Pugacheva (yes, she did it too). I was honored and very touched by this. Also, Russia’s greatest writers who supported me publicly: Boris Akunin, Mikhail Veller, Dmitry Bykov, and many others. Once again, I’m very flattered.
The finest Russian historians, including the famous Evgeny Anisimov; all of our university and the people who taught me there, like Valery Stepanenko, Russia’s leading Medievalist; Evgeny Neklyudov, our remarkable historian; Dr. Alexey Mosin and Dr. Yulia Borovik: all of them are my colleagues, and I’m very touched by the advocacy of the History Department at the university where I studied, and that even Rudolf Pikhoya, Russia’s leading light in archival studies, flew in for my sake. <…> The excellent Russian art historians <…> I’m grateful to them all.
I’m grateful to the poets who supported me as a fellow poet. They were Dr. Yury Kazarin, the remarkable Maya Nikulina, Evgeny Kasimov, Vitaly Kalpidi, Sergey Plotov, Vadim Zhuk, and many, many others. Dr. Leonid Bykov, to name another. I’m very touched.
I’m surprised and touched that all my neighbors from my apartment building gave me such a good recommendation.
I’m grateful to those who came to the hearing, and to the excellent Russian journalists: Alexander Minkin, Dmitry Muratov, Irina Vorobyova, Aksana Panova, and Dmitry Kolezev. They’re all here, and I’m very touched and thankful to them all.
And of course, I’m grateful to all the residents of Yekaterinburg, and to all good people, because I feel their support. <…> These people, who all spoke about me, are depriving me of any opening for a retreat. They compel me to live up to their words about me. My friends, I have no choice but to live up to this image you’ve created, on which you’ve all agreed, leaving me no course for retreat.
As for myself, I’ve had a good life and have no regrets…
Judge: I must stop you. According to criminal procedure, the presiding party must stop the participants’ allocutions if they stray from the matter at hand. Once again, no more…
Roizman: I was just getting started, your honor, and you’ve already clipped my wings. But I’ll be brief: I had a good life, I regret nothing, and I’m afraid of nothing. No one can take away my right to say what I think. Thank you.
Translated by Anna Razumnaya