''12 Who Don't Agree'' (russian: 12 несогласных) is a 2009 non-fiction book by the Russian writer

Valery Panyushkin Valery Panyushkin (russian: link=no, Валерий Панюшкин; born June 26, 1969) is a Russian journalist and writer. Works * ''Узник тишины: История про то, как человеку в России стать св� ...

. The book is based on the life of

Russian opposition Opposition to the government of President Vladimir Putin in Russia can be divided between the parliamentary opposition parties in the State Duma and the various non-systemic opposition organizations. While the former are largely viewed as bei ...

activists. ''12 Who Don't Agree'' was published in 2009 in

Zakharov Books Zakharov Books (Russian: Издательство Захаров) is one of the main Russian independent publishing houses. Founded by the journalist Igor Zakharov in 1998 as a small independent publishing company, they gradually developed into an ...

(Russia). This book was also published in English translation in 2011 in

Europa Editions Europa Editions is an independent trade publisher based in New York. The company was founded in 2005 by the owners of the Italian press Edizioni E/O and specializes in literary fiction, mysteries, and narrative non-fiction. Europa has published ...

Characters

* Marina Litvinovich * Vissarion Aseev * Anatoliy Ermolin *

Maria Gaidar Maria Yegorovna Gaidar (russian: Мари́я Его́ровна Гайда́р, uk, Марія Єгорівна Гайдар; 1990–2004 Smirnova (russian: Смирно́ва); born 21 October 1982) is a Russian and Ukrainian state and publi ...

Ilya Yashin Ilya Valeryevich Yashin (russian: Илья́ Вале́рьевич Я́шин; born 29 June 1983) is a Russian opposition politician who led the PARNAS party from 2012 to 2016, and then its Moscow branch. He was also head of the Moscow munici ...

Sergei Udaltsov Sergei Stanislavovich Udaltsov (russian: Серге́й Станиславович Удальцов; born 16 February 1977) is a Russian left-wing political activist. He is the unofficial leader of the Vanguard of Red Youth (AKM). In 2011 and 2 ...

Maxim Gromov Maxim Alexandrovich Gromov (russian: Макси́м Алекса́ндрович Гро́мов; born 1973) is a Russian political dissident, human rights activist, former political prisoner, publicist, member of National Bolshevik Party since ...

Natalia Morar Natalia Morari ( ro, Natalia Morari, russian: Наталья Григорьевна Морарь; born 12 January 1984 in Kotovsk, Moldavian SSR) is a Moldovan investigative journalist for the Russian magazine '' New Times''. She was a permanent ...

Victor Shenderovich Viktor Anatolyevich Shenderovich (russian: Ви́ктор Анато́льевич Шендеро́вич; born August 15, 1958) is a Russian satirist, writer, scriptwriter and radio host. Biography Shenderovich was born in Moscow into a family of ...

Andrey Illarionov Andrey Nikolayevich Illarionov (russian: Андре́й Никола́евич Илларио́нов, born 16 September 1961) is a Russian economist and former senior policy advisor to Vladimir Putin, the President of Russia, from April 2000 ...

Garry Kasparov Garry Kimovich Kasparov (born 13 April 1963) is a Russian chess grandmaster, former World Chess Champion, writer, political activist and commentator. His peak rating of 2851, achieved in 1999, was the highest recorded until being surpassed by ...

* Valery Panyushkin12 несогласных Валерия Панюшкина Радио "Свобода", 19.04.2009
/ref> – author of the book

Overview

* Published in Russia in 2009, journalist Valery Panyushkin's semi-autobiographical novel Twelve Who Don't Agree depicts twelve very different Russians from across the country's social, political and economic spectrum: chess champion and the chairman of the United Civil Front, Garry Kasparov. A columnist for the liberal Russian paper New Times, Viktor Shenderovich. The young center-left independent politician; Maria Gaidar. The passionate leader of the RPR-PARNAS party; Ilya Yashin. The unofficial leader of the radical communist group, the Vanguard of Red Youth; Sergei Udaltsov. The Bolshevik opposition-party leader; Maxim Gromov. The former adviser to President Vladimir Putin; Andrei Illarionov. The editor-in-chief of the popular dissident website Pravda Beslan; Marina Litvinovich. The former police officer and politician for 'Putin's Party,' United Russia; Anatoly Yermolin. The Moldovan investigative journalist for the Russian magazine New Times; Natalya Morar, and human rights activist Vissarion Aseev.

Events

* Taking place a year before the presidential election scheduled on March 2, 2008, the St. Petersburg march also came a week ahead of the local elections of the Saint Petersburg Legislative Assembly. The protest was organized by The Other Russia, a broad umbrella group including both left and right-wing opposition leaders; including the far-left Vanguard of Red Youth and its leader Sergei Udaltsov, with the National Bolshevik Party and its leader Eduard Limonov; as well as center-right 'liberals' such as former world chess champion and United Civil Front leader Garry Kasparov, and former Prime Minister of Russia and People Democratic Union leader Mikhail Kasyanov. Those of the Twelve not already listed were among the masses of journalists and unaffiliated civilians taking part in the assembly. Despite widespread support, the large numbers garnered by the protestors, and the initial 'success' of the first march; when more marches were planned for 14 April, in Moscow, and 15 April, in St. Petersburg, local and state police were prepared for the protestors, quickly overwhelming and arresting the resistance.

Analysis

* Despite distinctly different backgrounds, all twelve individuals became allies during their participation in the historic Dissidents March 2007. The March was purposefully and peacefully in violation of increasingly restrictive laws forbidding political demonstrations. Although each of the Twelve had their own personal reasons for taking part in the march, they also shared in the conviction that under Vladimir Putin the Russian government was (and is) becoming increasingly totalitarian, autocratic, and repressive. As a book published less than a decade ago, Panyushkin provides critical and essential insight for students of Russian history into the deteriorating democracy of post-Soviet Russia. If there is an underlying theme or message in ''12 that Don't Agree'', it is one of knitting together a tattered tapestry made up of the disjointed and oftentimes contradictory patchwork of different people and ideas, to unite them all under the common cause of democracy, and the sacred duty of tyrannicide for the preservation of liberty.

References

External links