LWN: Richard Stallman on the Sklyarov case Dec 17, 2001, 18 :45 UTC (62 Talkback[s]) (9447 reads) (Other stories by Richard Stallman)
"Here's a posting from Richard Stallman on Dmitry Sklyarov's freedom. "The dropping of charges against Sklyarov is a good thing, but we must not think of it as our victory, because we did not win it. Rather, it is largesse from powers that feel completely triumphant." He also had some harsh words toward Dmitry himself for having accepted the deal.
"The dropping of charges against Sklyarov is a good thing, but we must
not think of it as our victory, because we did not win it. Rather, it
is largesse from powers that feel completely triumphant. They believe
that their successes in court, together with the example presented by
Sklyarov's treatment so far, make their dominion so strong that
nothing can challenge it."
"I did not know that this was a plea bargain--I heard that charges had
been dropped. That puts it in a very different light: he has done
harm to others that far exceeds the harm he has avoided for himself.
I won't claim I would have done better, since I have never been in
that situation--but the question of how strong I am is beside the
point. Sklyarov had a duty to resist, and he failed in his duty.
It appears that another consequence is that he will be unable to help
our movement by speaking. In effect, he has defected."
