My Interview with German Radio

I’ve given my first major interview to a Western media outlet following my release from prison to Deutsche Welle German radio. Here’s the translation:

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Oleg Kozlovsky, the coordinator of the youth movement “Defense,” arrested for intent to participate in a “March of Dissenters,” believes that Russian law enforcement was in fact not executing the criminal code but rather instructions from on high. Having just gained his freedom after serving a 13-day sentence, he tells Deutsche Welle his story.

Deutsche Welle: Oleg, using the phraseology of Russia’s new president, is freedom is better than the lack of freedom?

Oleg Kozlovsky: Of course, based on recent my personal experience I can’t dispute this thesis.

DW: What is it about your work the authorities do not like? Why did you spent 13 days behind bars?

OK: I think that those in power have accumulated irritation against me for my protest activities, and they tried, one after another, different methods of combating their opponents. The first arrests were ineffectual because the charges were minor and resulted only brief periods of a few hours behind bars. But as time has passed the authorities have apparently begun to fear that a mass movement is developing, and they’ve begun to impose more draconian measures. So they’ve invented new charges to put against us.

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