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PEN Petitions for Limonov's Prison Release

The Russian PEN-Center on Friday added its name to a list of petitioners -- chiefly writers, artists and other members of the intelligentsia -- supporting jailed writer and ultranationalist party leader Eduard Limonov.

Limonov, head of the extremist National Bolshevik Party, was arrested last April on charges of illegal arms possession and terrorism. He was denied bail in September and remains jailed in Moscow's Lefortovo Prison.

The petitioners objected to Limonov's 10-month period of incarceration while awaiting trial. The letter, directed to Prosecutor General Vladimir Ustinov, called for the "objective and unbiased investigation of the circumstances of Limonov's case in an open and fair process," Interfax reported.

Among the signatories were Maria Rozanova, widow of writer Andrei Sinyavsky, poet Alexander Mezhirov and emigre artist Vagrich Bakhchanyan.

The signatories said the letter did not touch on Limonov's political views and only represented a protest against Limonov's continued incarceration.

Limonov does not pose a danger to society, the letter said, adding that the writer should be released on condition he remain in Russia until the investigation into his case is completed.

Also on Friday, members of the Limonov Fund -- organized last year by Limonov supporters to protest the writer's jailing -- celebrated his 59th birthday at the Mayakovsky Museum.

A dissident poet in the Soviet Union, Limonov was exiled in 1974 and made his way to New York, where he shocked the emigre community with his lurid "fictional autobiographies" depicting sexual encounters on city streets. He is best known for his book "It's Me -- Eddie," which was praised by critics.

Limonov later moved to Paris and returned to Moscow in the mid-1990s.

This month, Limonov registered as a candidate for a seat in the State Duma from the Dzerzhinsk district of the Nizhny Novgorod region.

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