Lev Aleksandrovich Ponomaryov (russian: Лев Алекса́ндрович Пономарёв, September 2, 1941) is a Russian political and civil
activist
Activism (or Advocacy) consists of efforts to promote, impede, direct or intervene in social, political, economic or environmental reform with the desire to make changes in society toward a perceived greater good. Forms of activism range fro ...
. He is an executive director of the all-Russian movement "For Human Rights." He is a member of the Federal Political Council of
Solidarnost
United Democratic Movement "Solidarnost" (russian: Объединённое демократическое движение «Солидарность»; ОДД «Солидарность»; ''Obyedinonnoye demokraticheskoye dvizheniye «Solidarno ...
, and was deputy to the
State Duma
The State Duma (russian: Госуда́рственная ду́ма, r=Gosudárstvennaja dúma), commonly abbreviated in Russian as Gosduma ( rus, Госду́ма), is the lower house of the Federal Assembly of Russia, while the upper house ...
in its first period.
Education and early career
Ponomaryov graduated from the
Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology
Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology (MIPT; russian: Московский Физико-Технический институт, also known as PhysTech), is a public research university located in Moscow Oblast, Russia. It prepares speciali ...
(MFTI) in 1965 and from the doctorate program of the same institute in 1968, becoming a doctor of physics and mathematics. He worked in the Theoretical and Experimental Physics Institute of the
Russian Academy of Sciences
The Russian Academy of Sciences (RAS; russian: Росси́йская акаде́мия нау́к (РАН) ''Rossíyskaya akadémiya naúk'') consists of the national academy of Russia; a network of scientific research institutes from across t ...
and simultaneously taught at MFTI in the general physics department.
Human rights and political activities
1980s
In 1988, Ponomaryov helped create the human rights organization
Memorial
A memorial is an object or place which serves as a focus for the memory or the commemoration of something, usually an influential, deceased person or a historical, tragic event. Popular forms of memorials include landmark objects or works of a ...
.
In 1989, Ponomaryov filled the place of academic
Andrei Sakharov
Andrei Dmitrievich Sakharov ( rus, Андрей Дмитриевич Сахаров, p=ɐnˈdrʲej ˈdmʲitrʲɪjevʲɪtɕ ˈsaxərəf; 21 May 192114 December 1989) was a Soviet nuclear physicist, dissident, nobel laureate and activist for nu ...
in the
Congress of People's Deputies of the Soviet Union
The Congress of People's Deputies of the Soviet Union (russian: Съезд народных депутатов СССР, ''Sʺezd narodnykh deputatov SSSR'') was the highest body of state authority of the Soviet Union from 1989 to 1991.
Backg ...
after he died suddenly from a heart attack. Ponomaryov took part in the Coordination Council of Moscow Union of Electors and in the initiative group for the creation of the Civil Action Committee.
1990s
In 1990, he was elected a People's Deputy of the
Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic
The Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic, Russian SFSR or RSFSR ( rus, Российская Советская Федеративная Социалистическая Республика, Rossíyskaya Sovétskaya Federatívnaya Soci ...
. From 1990 to 1993, Lev Ponomaryov was a People's Deputy of the
Russian Federation
Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a List of transcontinental countries, transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia, Northern Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the ...
; a member of the Council of Nationalities of the Supreme Soviet of the Russian Federation; a member of the Committee on Mass Media relating to public organizations, mass movement of citizen and public opinion research; and a member of the political movement
Democratic Russia
Democratic Russia (Russian: Демократическая Россия, abbreviation: ДемРоссия ''DemRossiya'') was the generic name for several political entities that played a transformative role in Russia's transition from Communis ...
and the deputies group Army Reform (''Reforma armii'').
In the autumn of 1991, he presided over the parliamentary commission for investigation of
GKChP
The State Committee on the State of Emergency (), abbreviated as SCSE (), was a group of eight high-level Soviet Union, Soviet officials within the Government of the Soviet Union, Soviet government, the CPSU, Communist Party, and the KGB, who at ...
activities and the
KGB
The KGB (russian: links=no, lit=Committee for State Security, Комитет государственной безопасности (КГБ), a=ru-KGB.ogg, p=kəmʲɪˈtʲet ɡəsʊˈdarstvʲɪn(ː)əj bʲɪzɐˈpasnəsʲtʲɪ, Komitet gosud ...
’s role in the
1991 Soviet coup d'état attempt
The 1991 Soviet coup d'état attempt, also known as the August Coup,, "August Putsch". was a failed attempt by hardliners of the Soviet Union's Communist Party to forcibly seize control of the country from Mikhail Gorbachev, who was Soviet ...
.
In 1993, he lost the elections to the State Duma in a single-mandate constituency and in the list of the electoral union
Democratic Choice of Russia
The Democratic Choice of Russia (DVR; russian: Демократический выбор России; ДВР; ''Demokraticheskiy vybor Rossii'', ''DVR''), before 1994 Choice of Russia Bloc (VR; russian: Блок «Выбор России»; В ...
. Ponomaryov entered the Parliament only after the death of deputy
Vasilii Seliunin. From 1994 to 1996 Ponomaryov was a deputy of the State Duma, a member of the committees for
CIS
Cis or cis- may refer to:
Places
* Cis, Trentino, in Italy
* In Poland:
** Cis, Świętokrzyskie Voivodeship, south-central
** Cis, Warmian-Masurian Voivodeship, north
Math, science and biology
* cis (mathematics) (cis(''θ'')), a trigonome ...
Affairs and relations with nationalities.
In 1997, Ponomaryov founded the Russian human rights society "For Human Rights" (''Za prava cheloveka''), becoming its executive director and a member of the Council on Motion. Also in 1997, Ponomaryov was one of the founders of the "Hotline" (''Goriachaia liniia'') and founded and is one of the most active members of the group Common Action (''Obshchee deistvie'').
[
]
2000s
He has been a member of The Other Russia coalition since its foundation in 2006 and also a member of its executive committee.
In 2007, he lost a case of defence of honour and dignity against Yury Kalinin, the Director of the Federal Service of Execution of Penalties (FSIN). The court obliged Ponomaryov to refute the unreliable information about Kalinin that he had made public.
He actively defended the ex-owner of YUKOS
OJSC "Yukos Oil Company" (russian: ОАО Нефтяна́я Компа́ния Ю́КОС, links=no, ) was an oil and gas company based in Moscow, Russia. Yukos was acquired from the Russian government by Russian oligarch Mikhail Khodorkovs ...
Mikhail Khodorkovsky
Mikhail Borisovich Khodorkovsky (russian: link=no, Михаил Борисович Ходорковский, ; born 26 June 1963), sometimes known by his initials MBK, is an exiled Russian businessman and opposition activist, now residing in L ...
and the other persons sentenced for economical offences in the YUKOS case. Some human rights activists consider that these persons are persecuted for political reasons (making them political prisoners) and that the charges against them are fabricated. In 2007, he appealed to President Putin to release Khodorkovsky. In 2009, together with other Solidarnost activists, Roman Dobrokhotov, Oleg Kozlovsky, Aleksander Rykline, Sergey Davidis, Mikhail Schneider, Vladimir Milov, 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 ...
and Boris Nemtsov
Boris Yefimovich Nemtsov ( rus, Бори́с Ефи́мович Немцо́в, p=bɐˈrʲis jɪˈfʲiməvʲɪtɕ nʲɪmˈtsof; 9 October 195927 February 2015) was a Russian physicist and liberal politician. He was involved in the introduction ...
, Lev Ponomaryov took part in a series of individual pickets in front of Meschansky district court and held a slogan "Freedom to Mikhail Khodorkovsky and Platon Lebedev".
Lev Ponomarev is a member of the United Democratic Movement "Solidarnost". On December 13, 2008, at the first Solidarnost congress, he was elected as a member of the political council of this movement.
Late in the evening on March 31, 2009, he was physically assaulted near his home. Ludmila Alekseeva thinks that this attack was connected with his political and human rights activities within the "Solidarnost" movement. At the meeting of Russian and US Presidents on April 1, 2009, Barack Obama, according to his assistants, mentioned the attack against Ponomarev among the main US concerns about Russia.
2010s
On March 10, 2010 he signed an appeal of the Russian opposition stating "Putin must go
"Putin Must Go" () is a Russian website and public campaign organised for the collection of signatures to an open letter demanding the resignation of President of Russia, President (formerly Prime Minister of Russia, Prime Minister) Vladimir Put ...
".
On July 14, 2010, he declared that he considered it necessary to maintain article 282 of the Penal Code.
On August 25, 2010 he was sentenced to a 3-day arrest for attempting to carry the state flag of the Russian Federation along Arbat Street on State Flag Day, August 22. The day before, Boris Nemtsov was acquitted in the same case.
On September 7, 2010 he was sentenced to a 4-day arrest for disobedience of the police.
Ponomaryov was sentenced to at least 25 days of detention in December 2018 in because of a Facebook post publicising an unauthorised rally that was to take place at Lubyanka square in Moscow on 28 October. The aim of that protest was to demonstrate solidarity with certain young activists being charged with alleged anti-terrorism and anti-extremism offences.
2020s
On 28 December 2020, Ponomaryov was added to the list of media "foreign agents" by the Russian government alongside four other persons. No reason however was provided as to why they were added to the list.
On 30 January 2022, during the 2021–2022 Russo-Ukrainian war, Ponomaryov led a public declaration published in Echo of Moscow
Echo of Moscow (russian: links=no, Эхо Москвы, translit=Ekho Moskvy) was a 24/7 commercial Russian radio station based in Moscow. It broadcast in many Russian cities, some of the former Soviet republics (through partnerships with local ra ...
opposing the Russian threat to further invade Ukraine. By 7 February, 5000 people had co-signed the declaration. On 20 February 2022, Ponomaryov and seven others, including Yuri Samodurov
Yuri Vadimovich Samodurov (russian: Юрий Вадимович Самоду́ров; born 27 September 1951, Moscow) is a Russian civil activist, publicist and public figure, candidate of geological and mineralogical sciences.
On the lat 1980s ...
, held solitary street protests in Moscow against the Russian threat to attack Ukraine and were arrested.
Ponomaryov also initiated a petition on change.org
Change.org is a worldwide nonprofit petition website, based in California, US, operated by the San Francisco-based company of the same name, which has over 400 million users and offers the public the ability to promote the petitions they care abo ...
called "''Stop the war with Ukraine! - No to war.''" By 4 March 2022, more than 1.18 millions had signed the petition already.
Controversy
On March 22, 2012, ''Komsomolskaya Pravda
''Komsomolskaya Pravda'' (russian: link=no, Комсомольская правда; lit. "Komsomol Truth") is a daily Russian tabloid (newspaper format), tabloid newspaper, founded on 13 March 1925.
History and profile
During the Soviet era, ...
'' published transcripts of a YouTube
YouTube is a global online video platform, online video sharing and social media, social media platform headquartered in San Bruno, California. It was launched on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim. It is owned by ...
video, purporting to show Ponomaryov to be demanding money for civil organizations in the Russian Far East
The Russian Far East (russian: Дальний Восток России, r=Dal'niy Vostok Rossii, p=ˈdalʲnʲɪj vɐˈstok rɐˈsʲiɪ) is a region in Northeast Asia. It is the easternmost part of Russia and the Asian continent; and is admini ...
from an official working at the Embassy of Japan in Moscow, in return for promoting Japanese claims to the disputed Kuril Islands
The Kuril Islands or Kurile Islands (; rus, Кури́льские острова́, r=Kuril'skiye ostrova, p=kʊˈrʲilʲskʲɪjə ɐstrɐˈva; Japanese: or ) are a volcanic archipelago currently administered as part of Sakhalin Oblast in the ...
of Shikotan
; ja, 色丹島
, location = Pacific Ocean
, coordinates =
, archipelago = Kuril Islands
, total_islands = 1
, major_islands =
, area_km2 = 225
, length =
, width =
, coastline ...
and Habomai
; ja, 歯舞群島, Habomai guntō
, location = Pacific Ocean
, coordinates =
, archipelago = Kuril Islands
, total_islands = 10 + several rocks
, major_islands =
, area_km2 = 100
, length =
, ...
. The video also purports to show him saying that people like Boris Nemtsov
Boris Yefimovich Nemtsov ( rus, Бори́с Ефи́мович Немцо́в, p=bɐˈrʲis jɪˈfʲiməvʲɪtɕ nʲɪmˈtsof; 9 October 195927 February 2015) was a Russian physicist and liberal politician. He was involved in the introduction ...
, Mikhail Kasyanov
Mikhail Mikhailovich Kasyanov ( rus, link=no, Михаи́л Миха́йлович Касья́нов, , mʲɪxɐˈil mʲɪˈxajləvʲɪtɕ kɐˈsʲjanəf; born 8 December 1957) is a Russian politician who served as Prime Minister of Russia fr ...
and Vladimir Ryzhkov
Vladimir Aleksandrovich Ryzhkov (russian: Влади́мир Алекса́ндрович Рыжко́в; born 3 September 1966 in Rubtsovsk) is a Russian historian and liberal politician, a former co-chair of People's Freedom Party (2006 ...
would go to blood if allowed to handle it. The news outlet also questioned him about the video. Ponomaryov stated that he had complained to the Prosecutor-General of Russia
The Prosecutor General of Russia (also Attorney General of Russia, russian: Генеральный прокурор Российской Федерации, Generalʹnyy prokuror Rossiyskoy Federatsii) heads the system of official prosecution i ...
for invasion of his privacy and the Japanese had initiated contact with him over the islands.
In a discussion with , Ponomaryov said that while the video was mostly genuine, the publishers had particularly tried to signify words like "money". However, he said that he was talking about simply encouraging funding of civil society organizations in the Far East, not asking money to organize protests in favour of Japan's claim as was being alleged. He admitted that human rights organisations got foreign funding, but stated it was necessary since the authorities had driven them into such a position. He claimed that the video had edited the portion where he said Nemtsov and Ryzhkov would go to blood, adding he was talking about the authorities who would go to blood if these people try to hold rallies. Ponomaryov also noted that Putin himself had promised to hand back the disputed islands per the Soviet–Japanese Joint Declaration of 1956
The Soviet Union did not sign the Treaty of Peace with Japan in 1951. On October 19, 1956, Japan and the Soviet Union signed a Joint Declaration providing for the end of the state of war and for the restoration of diplomatic relations betwee ...
.
Decorations and awards
*2010—Ponomaryov was decorated with a Commandor's Cross of the Order of Merit of the Republic of Poland by a decree of the President of Poland Lech Kaczyński
Lech Aleksander Kaczyński (; 18 June 194910 April 2010) was a Polish politician who served as the city mayor of Warsaw from 2002 until 2005, and as President of Poland from 2005 until his death in 2010. Before his tenure as president, he prev ...
"for outstanding results in the defence of human rights and promotion of civil freedoms".
See also
* Gleb Yakunin
Gleb Pavlovich Yakunin (russian: Глеб Па́влович Яку́нин; 4 March 1936 – 25 December 2014) was a Russian priest and dissident, who fought for the principle of freedom of conscience in the Soviet Union. He was a member of t ...
Family
Lev Ponomaryov has two daughters from his first marriage, Elena Liptser and Xenia. He was then married to Eugenia Ilyina with whom he has had two children, Anastasia and Fedor, born in 1984 and 1986, respectively.
References
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
Sergei Adamovich Kovalyov (also spelled Sergey Kovalev; russian: link=no, Сергей Адамович Ковалёв; 2 March 1930 – 9 August 2021) was a Russian human rights activist and politician. During the Soviet period he was a diss ...
regarding the attack on Lev Ponomaryov
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ponomaryov, Lev Alexandrovich
1941 births
Living people
People from Tomsk
Amnesty International prisoners of conscience held by Russia
Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology alumni
Soviet physicists
Soviet mathematicians
Soviet human rights activists
Russian human rights activists
Russian dissidents
Soviet dissidents
Moscow Helsinki Group
Memorial (society)
First convocation members of the State Duma (Russian Federation)
Solidarnost politicians
21st-century Russian politicians
People listed in Russia as media foreign agents
Russian activists against the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine