Dear Valery Abramkin,

I want to thank you personally for that help and moral support which you gave me in the struggle for justice. It would not be an exaggeration to say that I survived and came out of the prison only thanks to your help. Tortures followed by 4,5 years of the prison hell did not break my trust [belief] in the victory of justice and didn’t handicap me morally. All these years I gave all the possible help to those who was in prison together with me, supported them morally…

After my release on 24.01.01 I still carry on the activity of human rights’ defense and I have organized in my town the public organization ‘Alexinsky Human Rights Center’. We are already active, propagate [preach] the common human values and defend people from the arbitrariness of the authorities…

Alexander Volod’ko from Alexin, Tulskaya oblast
12.04.01

“The booklets published and freely delivered by your center help many people to understand dry legal articles thanks to the simple and comprehensible text.

Many coworkers of the penitentiary system faithfully strive to give all the possible help to the prisoners. Very often one has to answer questions how to appeal the detention about illegal actions of the militiamen, no objectivity, preconception in the activity of the investigator and so on. The coworkers of the penitentiary system do need your help not less than those who are behind the bars.”

Coworker of the SIZO Pavel Mazur, Ussuriysk, Primorsky Krai, 11^th May 2001

“ I thought before that the Law consists only of prohibitions and obligations for us, prisoners, and of complete allowance for the authorities. But I was wrong [mistaken] — the Law is the same for everybody, and I am glad that this discovery I’ve made due to your booklets from the series ‘Know your rights’.

I am very grateful to you for your explanatory work. Without you many people would be still in ignorance”.

Vitaly L. Sverdlovskaya oblast, Settlement Sosva, Colony No.23. 02.12.00

“By the will of destiny I’ve got your book ‘Teenager in the places of imprisonment’. A man with whom I happened to be in hospital gave me your book and advised me not to give up. This book helped him to win the case in the Appeal Court. Out of eleven years of his initial sentence he was left seven. I have read your book from cover to cover, and the spark of hope was lit in my heart…”

Kushnarev S.V. Plavsk, Colony No.4, 05.07.00

Thanks to the coworkers of your Center I have managed to get the revision of my case in the inspection. As a result I was given 25 years of the strict regime instead of the life sentence. That is why I am grateful to you from all of my heart for your attention and help which you give to people who had lost all the trust and hope for the future”.

Jury Artamonov, Republic Udmurty, Sarapul, Colony No.5, 05.04.01

Very grateful to you for the posted to me booklets of the series “Know your rights”. The biggest impression gives the one “How to appeal to the inspection”. Apart from the value of its content specially meaningful for me it its methodology – very comprehensive, good presentation of the most difficult moments in this serious material”.