What does a man lack in prison, except freedom? Navalny's letters reveal things that seem worthless to us in everyday life
“Të gjithë mendojnë se kam nevojë për fjalë patetike dhe zemërthyese. Por mua në fakt më mungon vërtet përditshmëria – lajmet për jetën, ushqimin, rrogën dhe thashethemet”, shkruante Navalny.
2024-02-21 12:26:06
TiranaPost
What does a man lack in prison, except freedom? Isolation, family, walks in nature, routine, these are the most important things that are taken away from a person in prison. Yes, they are not the only ones. Russian opposition leader Alexey Navalny, Putin's main opponent, who died while serving a prison sentence, often sent letters from his cell.
With 15 kilograms less, with missing health care, dental and maybe sometimes eating and sometimes not eating, Navalny never lost his clarity of mind.
Russian journalist Ilya Krasilshchik, who lives in Germany, has exchanged many letters with Navalny. Some were about prison conditions. But many were about everyday things, like gossip, books and food.
What was missing written in his own words (torn in one of the letters)
"Everyone thinks I need pathetic and heartbreaking words. But I actually really miss everyday life - news about life, food, salary and gossip," Navalny wrote.
"From my perspective, from what was in his papers, he was not depressed. He was really optimistic. He had a hard time there, for sure, but he never talked about any problems he had. And there were many. It's hard to be in a Russian prison, and it was much harder for him than for any average prisoner. But he wanted to talk about everything - about literature, about the city where I live, about the people I met. From his letters, it is clear that he loved life. And he loved life in many ways. And he knew as much. He knew so many people. He saw so many things. He had so many thoughts.
He missed the news from freedom. Simple information, what did you do yesterday? What did you eat yesterday? Who did you meet yesterday? The most normal things in life. Things that when you hear them make you realize you're still alive. This was very important for you and especially because you lived in a rotten country", says the journalist.
