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English Language Page On the 1st of August 1975 the Conference on the Security and Cooperation in Europe, held in Helsinki, came to the end. Heads of European countries (excluding Albany) and also heads of Canada and USA took part in the Conference. Soviet governing body, having signed the Concluding Accords of this Conference, assumed obligations to follow the international standards on human rights. Moscow human rights activists Yuri Orlov, Andrey Amalrick, Valentin Tourchin, Anatoly (Nathan) Scharansky came to idea of establishing independent non-governmental public organizations aimed at control over the implementation of humanitarian articles of Helsinki Accords. On May 12th, 1976 on the press-conference, summoned in academician Sakharov’s apartments, Yuri Orlov proclaimed the establishment of the Moscow Helsinki Group. Members of MHG were: Ludmilla Alexeeva, Mikhail Bernshtam (he was an MHG member for two months), Elena Bonner, Alexander Ginzburg, Peotr Grigorenko, Alexander Korchak, Malva Landa, Anatoly Marchenko, Vitaly Rubin, Anatoly Scharansky. MHG began to accept information on humanitarian articles of Helsinki Accord violations from USSR citizens, to compel on this basis its documents and deliver them in public and governments of 35 countries-signatories to Helsinki Accords. MHG documents contained concrete cases of violations by soviet government of obligations to keep to the equality of nations’ rights and on the freedom to order their destiny; freedom to choose the place of residence; freedom to leave the country and return; freedom of conscience; rights of political prisoners; right to have contacts between people; right to a fair trial; social-economical rights. Documents were signed by MHG members, who participated in their preparation, and also their fellow-members, who were agree with the document content. All MHG documents were mailed to the registry of Supreme Soviet Presidium of the USSR office and Moscow embassies of countries-signatories to Helsinki Accords, as well as were handled to foreign reporters on press conferences. MHG members traveled across the country to gather local information on the humanitarian articles of Helsinki Accords violations. The Group has published 195 informative documents and several reviews. Some reports and proclamations were made jointly with other human rights organizations. On the pattern of MHG in 1976-1977 similar groups in Ukraine, Lithuania, Georgia and Armenia were established. In January 1977 on Peotr Grigorenko initiative Working Committee on the investigation of execution of psychiatry in political purposes was created within the MHG. From the very beginning of the MHG establishment soviet press began a company of threatening an libeling against it. It was a well-planed company aimed at liquidation of the Helsinki movement in the USSR, approved by the top party leadership. Arrests of MHG and other Helsinki groups members began in February, 1977. In Moscow Yuri Orlov and Alexander Ginzburg were arrested, then Anatoly Scharansky and Malva Landa. MHG members were a subject to pressure aimed at their refusal from work in the Group and forcing them to immigrate. In 1976 Vitaly Rubin immigrated, in 1977 – Ludmilla Alexeeva and Peotr Grigorenko. But the Group continued to work. New members joined the Group: Vladimir Slepak, Yuri Mnukh, Naum Meiman, Tatyana Osipova, Ivan Kovalev, Viktor Nekipelov, Sophia Kallistratova, Yuri Yarim-Ageev, Leonid Ternovsky, Felix Serebrov. Malva Landa returned to the work in the Group after an exile, but in 1980 she was repressed again. Altogether, according to the verdicts, made by soviet courts, MHG members were sentenced to 60 years of GULag and to 40 years of exile. By the end of 1981 only 3 MHG members were free - Elena Bonner, Sophia Kallistratova and Naum Meiman. In September, 1972 after the opening a criminal case against Sophia Kallistratova and there was a threaten of her imprisonment, an announcement about the Group’s dissolution was made. Moscow Helsinki Group from its creation attracted sympathy of many soviet citizens, who realized their lawlessness, and was a subject of big interest of the world community. Reports about MHG activities and repressions against its members were in the center of attention of western media, especially radio stations, broadcasting on the Soviet Union territory. In the 1978 USA Senate proposed arrested MHG members for the Nobel Peace prize, their destiny were regularly discussed with the USSR leaders during their meetings with political and public activists in democratic countries. Establishment of the MHG initiated international Helsinki movement, which consist now from 37 human rights organizations in 37 countries-signatories to Helsinki Accords. These organizations were joined into International Helsinki Federation on Human Rights (founded in 1982, Belagio, Italy). On the July 28, 1989 human rights activists Larisa Bogoraz, Sergey Kovalev, Viatcheslav Bakhmin, Alexey Smirnov, Lev Timofeev, Boris Zolotuhin announced the reestablishment of the Moscow Helsinki Group. Yuri Orlov, Ludmilla Alexeeva and Kronid Lubarsky joined them. In May 1996, MHG was headed by Ludmilla Alexeeva, who returned from immigration in 1993. In November 1998, she was also elected President of the International Helsinki Federation, According to the Statutes, approved in 1993, Moscow Helsinki Group is a non-governmental organization. Its purpose is assistance to the practical implementation of humanitarian articles of Helsinki Accord. Since July, 1996 MHG publishes informative digest distributed free of charge to the regional human rights organizations. Ernst Ametistov, Galina Starovoitova, Kristopher Getterud now deceased, were members of MHG. MHG’s contemporary members are: Valery Abramkin, Valery Borschev, Dina Kaminskaya, Sergey Kovalev, Yuri Orlov, Boris Pinsker, Henry Reznik, Lev Ponomarev, Gleb Yakunin, Boris Altshuler, Iosif Dyadkin, Evgeny Zakharov, Inna Zakharova, Viktoria Malikova, Karinna Moskalenko, Mara Polyakova, Sergey Sorokin, Georgy Edeltshtein, Sergey Pashin, Aleksey Simonov, Alexander Petrov, Leonard Ternovsky, Viatcheslav Bakhmin. Back |
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