Instructions for those who want to write to political prisoners but don’t know how to do it
Unfortunately, the number of prisoners of conscience is growing every day, especially considering the new unconstitutional law on “fakes.” It’s very important to write letters to political prisoners: first of all, it’s a form of protection because when prison and detention center staff see a large number of letters, it means someone is watching over the person’s fate. Additionally, political prisoners have now been deprived of the opportunity to receive information from independent sources since many media outlets were shut down after the war began. It is also an act of support — the person will know that they are not alone in the system.
How to choose who to write to?
1. “RosUznik”: On the website, there is a list, addresses of prisoners, built-in sorting, and examples of how to write to political prisoners if you are doing it for the first time.
2. “Memorial”: The website has a full list of political prisoners and information about their cases.
3. Telegram bot “SVOBOТ!”: The bot randomly selects a recipient, and there are sections: “imprisoned for politics,” “imprisoned for religion,” “imprisoned for peace,” and “birthday prisoners.”
Don’t try to write to every political prisoner — communication takes a lot of energy, and it’s even harder in letters. If you can maintain correspondence with a few political prisoners, that’s already great! For example, you can send postcards to them before holidays to show your support.
Also, don’t be afraid that you will be persecuted for correspondence with political prisoners: censors rarely forward letters to the Investigative Committee because they already have a lot of work.
How to send a letter?
1. “FSIN letter”: The electronic letter costs 55 rubles, the reply form costs the same, and sending an image costs 35 rubles. But remember, it will be printed on a black-and-white printer. Due to strict accounting, the censor quickly checks the letters, so this is the fastest delivery method.
2. “RosUznik”: Not all detention centers and colonies are connected to the service for receiving electronic letters, so the project staff often print the letters on a printer and send them by mail.
3.“Russian Post”: You can send a regular letter, and the cost will depend on the weight. In some detention centers and colonies, letters can only be delivered this way, but you are unlikely to be notified if the censor refuses to accept the letter. However, this remains the only way to send colored photos and images.
What to write about?
At the beginning of the correspondence, introduce yourself as you would in everyday life, talk about yourself, your hobbies, your work or studies, and even suggest a topic for discussion. You will greatly help the political prisoner if you send them articles or news on topics that interest them, so you can ask them what they are interested in. You can write about why you chose to write to this person: perhaps you learned some story about them that really interested you, or maybe you have similar interests.
You can put yourself in the shoes of the political prisoner and tell them about various things, such as a holiday and how you prepared for it, or a trip. You can talk about everyday things because these are messages from freedom, which the political prisoners don’t have. Share regular news: the weather, movies, lectures.
You can keep track of what you wrote about and when so you don’t forget what was discussed and can continue the conversation, as sometimes responses can take a long time.
You can postpone the letter for a couple of days to add more to it. Don’t worry if at some point you don’t have the strength to continue the correspondence — you can always resume it by explaining your reasons. Political prisoners are also human, and they will understand and are unlikely to be offended.
What not to write about?
Do not write about feeling sorry for the political prisoner: the person in prison needs strength not to lose hope. Find other words to offer support, tell the person that they are not alone, that they have many like-minded people. However, you can write about sad news because it still serves as news from the freedom that was unjustly taken from them.
To avoid harming the prisoner, do not criticize the state or the judicial system. Remember that your letters will be read by a censor before they reach the recipient. Also, do not write about the details of the prisoner’s case — this could work against them. For safety, avoid using complex or foreign words as censors sometimes have issues with these. Do not use foul language.
You can appeal the censor’s decision — there is a Telegram bot by human rights activist Roman Kiselyov where you can ask any questions and get a template for an appeal. Don’t be afraid to complain — this is an opportunity to resolve the problem.
