LWN: Richard Stallman on the Sklyarov case

“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.”

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and

“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.”

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Story