Vladimir addressed his handwritten letter to the College’s Master, Mary Hockaday. She said of his letter: “It was humbling to receive this message from Vladimir and wonderful to think that in some small way he was heartened by the news of his Honorary Fellowship. He was and remains an excellent historian as well as a courageous political campaigner.
“Trinity Hall aims to foster critical thinking and intellectual resilience in all its students and Vladimir exemplifies this with his reminder that times change and that a longer perspective can be a source of hope. However, in the immediate present, we continue to declare his imprisonment a travesty and we add our voice to all those calling for his release.”
Vladimir wrote:
“Good news are a scarce commodity in a special-regime prison in Siberia, but I was so heartened and so incredibly honoured to learn that I have been inducted among this academic year’s Honorary Fellows at Trinity Hall.
“I would like to convey my most profound gratitude to you, to the College Fellows, and to the entire Trinity Hall family for this humbling recognition from my alma mater.
“It is often said that every historian subconsciously wishes to personally experience the period of his or her study – and, given that among my main topics at Cambridge was the history of the Soviet dissident movement, I suppose I really cannot complain.
“But being a historian also gives the advantage of having a larger perspective – and of being able to see beyond the next turn.
“If the dissident movement in the Soviet Union and other Eastern European countries has taught us anything, it is that, however unpromising the odds may appear, the truth, in the end, does come out stronger.
“I look forward to staying in touch and to one day meeting you and joining fellow Trinity Hall members and alumni at our magnificent college, a place like no other.”
He signs off his letter, “Yours ever” followed by his signature.
Vladimir, who twice survived poisonings that he blamed on Russian authorities, has rejected the charges against him as punishment for standing up to Mr Putin.
Last week Vladimir was awarded a Pulitzer Prize for the “passionate columns” he penned for the Washington Post while in a Russian prison cell.
