Statement from the editorial team of the online outlet 7x7

Hello! On Tuesday, July 8, the FSB announced the initiation of a criminal case for state treason against Pavel Andreev, co-founder of the Syktyvkar cultural space “Revolt Center” and former media manager of “7x7”. Searches related to this case were carried out at the homes of journalists, human rights defenders, and civil activists in 12 regions of Russia.

We express our support for all the victims of this criminal case. We regard it as an attempt to intimidate people for whom love for their homeland and civic responsibility for what is happening around them are not meaningless clichés but the essence and meaning of life. To speak about social problems and try to find their solution, to help people subjected to unjust persecution and torture — this is true patriotism.

The “Revolt Center” itself is a unique and very important phenomenon in the cultural and public life of the Komi Republic and Russia as a whole. It is a place for the free exchange of opinions and honest conversation about the past and the present. It is a platform where traditional art meets the contemporary.

We also believe that without such a conversation, social progress is impossible. The repression of employees and leaders of the “Revolt Center” is an attempt to shut down this dialogue, and we consider it politically motivated and contrary to common sense.

The paths of Pavel Andreev and “7x7” diverged in 2022, but our values remain shared. We believe that no one can silence the voice of reason, the voice of love for the Russian regions.