Lev Ponomaryov
Encyclopedia
Lev Alexandrovich Ponomaryov (also trans. Ponomarev) (b. September 2, 1941, in Tomsk
, Soviet Union
; ) is a Russia
n politician and human rights activist, member of the Moscow Helsinki Group
and former member of the parliament. The head of the organization For Human Rights, Ponomaryov is one of the best-known activists for civil society and rule of law in Russia.
Ponomaryov graduated from the Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology in 1965 and subsequently worked for the Institute for Theoretical and Experimental Physics
. In 1990 he was elected to the Congress of People's Deputies of the Russian SFSR, and after its dissolution in 1993 was elected
deputy in the State Duma
(1993–1995). In 1991-1992 he was the chairman of the Parliamentary Commission for Investigating Causes and Reasons of the Soviet coup attempt of 1991
.
In addition to the criminal charges, Mr. Ponomaryov's travel documents were revoked and he was told he would be arrested if he attempted to leave the country. It appears that the charges and the travel restriction are reprisals for his recent trip to the United States, where he was interviewed by the Wall Street Journal, Boston Globe, Chicago Tribune, Washington Post and Philadelphia Inquirer and gave public lectures on prison conditions and human rights in Russia at Harvard, Columbia, NYU, University of Pennsylvania, University of Chicago and Boston University. While in the United States, Mr. Ponomaryov also had a number of other meetings with foundations, academics, human rights groups as well as the Department of State and NSC in Washington. He returned to Moscow on 15 February, a week before the charges were laid.
Ponomaryov is among the 34 first signatories of the online anti-Putin manifesto "Putin must go
", published on 10 March 2010.
Tomsk
Tomsk is a city and the administrative center of Tomsk Oblast, Russia, located on the Tom River. One of the oldest towns in Siberia, Tomsk celebrated its 400th anniversary in 2004...
, Soviet Union
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
; ) is a Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
n politician and human rights activist, member of the Moscow Helsinki Group
Moscow Helsinki Group
The Moscow Helsinki Group is an influential human rights monitoring non-governmental organization, originally established in what was then the Soviet Union; it still operates in Russia....
and former member of the parliament. The head of the organization For Human Rights, Ponomaryov is one of the best-known activists for civil society and rule of law in Russia.
Ponomaryov graduated from the Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology in 1965 and subsequently worked for the Institute for Theoretical and Experimental Physics
Institute for Theoretical and Experimental Physics
The Institute for Theoretical and Experimental Physics is located in Moscow, Russia as a MinAtom physical institute....
. In 1990 he was elected to the Congress of People's Deputies of the Russian SFSR, and after its dissolution in 1993 was elected
Russian legislative election, 1993
Legislative elections were held in the Russian Federation on 12 December 1993. At stake were the 450 seats in the State Duma , the lower house of the Federal Assembly of Russia .-Rules:...
deputy in the State Duma
State Duma
The State Duma , common abbreviation: Госду́ма ) in the Russian Federation is the lower house of the Federal Assembly of Russia , the upper house being the Federation Council of Russia. The Duma headquarters is located in central Moscow, a few steps from Manege Square. Its members are referred to...
(1993–1995). In 1991-1992 he was the chairman of the Parliamentary Commission for Investigating Causes and Reasons of the Soviet coup attempt of 1991
Soviet coup attempt of 1991
The 1991 Soviet coup d'état attempt , also known as the August Putsch or August Coup , was an attempt by a group of members of the Soviet Union's government to take control of the country from Soviet president Mikhail Gorbachev...
.
Slander charges and government pressure
On February 22, 2008 Russian authorities brought criminal charges against Lev Ponomaryov, head of For Human Rights. The Putin administration accused Dr. Ponomaryov of slandering General Yuri Kalinin, head of the Russian prison system. The charges result from accusations made by Mr. Ponomaryov that Russia's prison system is inhumane and that, in some prisons, prisoners are routinely tortured and otherwise severely abused.In addition to the criminal charges, Mr. Ponomaryov's travel documents were revoked and he was told he would be arrested if he attempted to leave the country. It appears that the charges and the travel restriction are reprisals for his recent trip to the United States, where he was interviewed by the Wall Street Journal, Boston Globe, Chicago Tribune, Washington Post and Philadelphia Inquirer and gave public lectures on prison conditions and human rights in Russia at Harvard, Columbia, NYU, University of Pennsylvania, University of Chicago and Boston University. While in the United States, Mr. Ponomaryov also had a number of other meetings with foundations, academics, human rights groups as well as the Department of State and NSC in Washington. He returned to Moscow on 15 February, a week before the charges were laid.
2009 Assault
On the night between 31 March and 1 April 2009, Ponomaryov was attacked outside his home and subsequently hospitalised http://www.novayagazeta.ru/data/2009/034/05.html. According to the Los Angeles Times, Ponomaryov's Russian Wikipedia entry was changed soon after the attack by an unknown user; the new edit said that he had been killed. Human rights activists described the attack as an example of the risk of activism in Russia.Ponomaryov is among the 34 first signatories of the online anti-Putin manifesto "Putin must go
Putin must go
"Putin must go" is a website and a public campaign of the same name organised for the collection of signatures under an open letter demanding the resignation of the Prime Minister of Russia Vladimir Putin...
", published on 10 March 2010.
External links
- All Russia Movement for Human Rights
- Committee to Free Mikhail Khodorkovsky and Platon Lebedev
- Habeas-Corpus.net, the pro Justice and Democracy web
- Open Letter to Russian President by Sergey Kovalyov regarding the attack on Lev Ponomaryov
See also
- Gleb YakuninGleb YakuninGleb Pavlovich Yakunin is Russian priest and dissident who fought for the freedom of conscience in the Soviet Union. He was member of Moscow Helsinki Group, and he was elected to Russian Parliaments from 1990 to 1999.-Life:...