Nikolai Mikhailovich Girenko (russian: Николай Михайлович Гиренко; October 31, 1940 – June 19, 2004) was an

ethnologist Ethnology (from the grc-gre, ἔθνος, meaning 'nation') is an academic field that compares and analyzes the characteristics of different peoples and the relationships between them (compare cultural, social, or sociocultural anthropology) ...

and

human rights Human rights are Morality, moral principles or Social norm, normsJames Nickel, with assistance from Thomas Pogge, M.B.E. Smith, and Leif Wenar, 13 December 2013, Stanford Encyclopedia of PhilosophyHuman Rights Retrieved 14 August 2014 for ce ...

activist.

Biography

Nikolai Girenko was born in 1940 in

Leningrad Saint Petersburg ( rus, links=no, Санкт-Петербург, a=Ru-Sankt Peterburg Leningrad Petrograd Piter.ogg, r=Sankt-Peterburg, p=ˈsankt pʲɪtʲɪrˈburk), formerly known as Petrograd (1914–1924) and later Leningrad (1924–1991), i ...

. He graduated in African Studies from

Leningrad University Saint Petersburg State University (SPBU; russian: Санкт-Петербургский государственный университет) is a public research university in Saint Petersburg, Russia. Founded in 1724 by a decree of Peter the G ...

's Oriental Institute in 1967. From 1967 to 1970 he worked as a translator for Soviet specialists working in

Tanzania Tanzania (; ), officially the United Republic of Tanzania ( sw, Jamhuri ya Muungano wa Tanzania), is a country in East Africa within the African Great Lakes region. It borders Uganda to the north; Kenya to the northeast; Comoro Islands and ...

. In 1970 he began working for the

Institute of Ethnography An institute is an organisational body created for a certain purpose. They are often research organisations (research institutes) created to do research on specific topics, or can also be a professional body. In some countries, institutes can ...

in Leningrad. Girenko received recognition in the USSR for his ethnology and African studies. Girenko taught in the university and worked for

Kunstkamera The Kunstkamera (russian: Кунсткамера) or Kunstkammer (German for "Culture Room" (literally) or "Art Chamber", typically used for a " cabinet of curiosities") is a public museum located on the Universitetskaya Embankment in Saint Pete ...

. Saint Petersburg's citizens elected Girenko to the first democratic

Lensovet The Legislative Assembly of Saint Petersburg (russian: Законода́тельное собра́ние Санкт-Петербу́рга, ЗакС) is the regional parliament of Saint Petersburg, a federal subject (federal city) of Russia ...

in 1990–1993. Girenko participated in the ethnic minorities' rights group of this legislative body and chaired a similar committee of the Saint Petersburg Union of Scientists. Girenko managed scientific and education programs meant to foster

tolerance Tolerance or toleration is the state of tolerating, or putting up with, conditionally. Economics, business, and politics * Toleration Party, a historic political party active in Connecticut * Tolerant Systems, the former name of Veritas Software ...

and counter-act

chauvinism Chauvinism is the unreasonable belief in the superiority or dominance of one's own group or people, who are seen as strong and virtuous, while others are considered weak, unworthy, or inferior. It can be described as a form of extreme patriotis ...

. He and others organized the European Conference for the Rights of Ethnic Minorities, the first of its kind in Russia, in 1991. Girenko organized workshops on legal counter-acting the nationalistic extremism in the city of St. Petersburg. He also expressed concern about the rights of the Russian-speaking population in the

Baltic states The Baltic states, et, Balti riigid or the Baltic countries is a geopolitical term, which currently is used to group three countries: Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania. All three countries are members of NATO, the European Union, the Eurozone, ...

. He participated in international

human rights defender A human rights defender or human rights activist is a person who, individually or with others, acts to promote or protect human rights. They can be journalists, environmentalists, whistleblowers, trade unionists, lawyers, teachers, housing campai ...

s' congresses. He provided more than twenty expert examinations at the request of

Moscow Moscow ( , US chiefly ; rus, links=no, Москва, r=Moskva, p=mɐskˈva, a=Москва.ogg) is the capital and largest city of Russia. The city stands on the Moskva River in Central Russia, with a population estimated at 13.0 million ...

and St. Petersburg law enforcement bodies and served as an expert witness at trials. Several far-right journalists were convicted by courts with the help of Girenko's testimony as an expert witness. Members of nationalist groups voiced irritation in their press with Girenko's work. Girenko took part in the trial of the ultra-nationalist newspaper '' Russian Veche'' (russian: Русское вече) in 2004 as an expert witness. He provided expert examinations of publications of the Shultz-88 group in another trial. He consulted with the investigators of the 2002 murder of the 53-year-old salesman Mamed Mamedov. Two or more anonymous attackers, suspected to be

Neo-Nazi Neo-Nazism comprises the post–World War II militant, social, and political movements that seek to revive and reinstate Nazism, Nazi ideology. Neo-Nazis employ their ideology to promote hatred and Supremacism#Racial, racial supremacy (ofte ...

youths, killed Girenko by a rifle shot through the entrance door of his St. Petersburg apartment on 19 June 2004, shortly after Girenko testified about

Russian National Unity Russian National Unity (RNU; transcribed Russkoe natsionalnoe edinstvo RNE) or All-Russian civic patriotic movement "Russian National Unity" (russian: Всероссийское общественное патриотическое движен� ...

in the court.

Murder investigation

Lev Borkin, Girenko's colleague, said that Girenko mentioned receiving threats. One night in November 2003, unknown individuals broke through the entrance to the office of Union of Scientists and left a note, "We will be whacking you, science freaks!". Vladimir Popov, leader of the neo-Nazi group

Russian Republic The Russian Republic,. referred to as the Russian Democratic Federal Republic. in the Decree on the system of government of Russia (1918), 1918 Constitution, was a short-lived state (polity), state which controlled, ''de jure'', the territ ...

, claimed responsibility for the killing in an interview to the Agency of Journalistic Investigations on June 24, 2004. Popov said that a "death sentence" was given to Girenko by the group. As of June 2005, the official investigation had found no suspects, according to the newspaper Tainy Sovetnik.Girenko's case: murder through the door
by Oleg Buluh, Tainy Sovetnik, N 024, 27 June 2005
Machine translation.
/ref> Yelena Ordynskaya, senior assistant to the city Prosecutor, said the investigation found that Russian Republic published its "death sentence" to Girenko a few days after the murder.A nationalist will be tried for the death sentence to Matvienko
, by Maria Rogachyova,

Izvestia ''Izvestia'' ( rus, Известия, p=ɪzˈvʲesʲtʲɪjə, "The News") is a daily broadsheet newspaper in Russia. Founded in 1917, it was a newspaper of record in the Soviet Union until the Soviet Union's dissolution in 1991, and describes ...

, 2005.
Machine translation.
/ref> The city court of Saint Petersburg sentenced 12 members of a Combat Terrorist Organization led by Voevodin and Borovikov.

Homage to Girenko

The portal "Human Rights in Russia" organized a social campaign called "I don't want to hate". The authors of the campaign hope to overcome

racism Racism is the belief that groups of humans possess different behavioral traits corresponding to inherited attributes and can be divided based on the superiority of one race over another. It may also mean prejudice, discrimination, or antagonism ...

, ethnic discrimination and

xenophobia Xenophobia () is the fear or dislike of anything which is perceived as being foreign or strange. It is an expression of perceived conflict between an in-group and out-group and may manifest in suspicion by the one of the other's activities, a ...

. In Russia alone, more than 70 non-government organizations and 47 mass media editor offices are taking part in the campaign.In memory of Nikolai Girenko
, Human Rights in Russia

References

Scientific works

* ''Sociology of Tribe''. Published by the Museum of Anthropology and Ethnography, St. Petersburg, 2005. * ''Ethnos, Culture, Law''. Published by the Museum of Anthropology and Ethnography and Civil Control, St. Petersburg, 2005.

External links

Girenko's biography
at

, in Russian.
Machine translation

Jewish Petersburg, in Russian.

by

Yuli Rybakov Yuly Andreyevich Rybakov (russian: link=no, Юлий Андреевич Рыбаков; born 25 February 1946) is a Russian human rights activist, a former member of the State Duma (1993–2003), a former Chairman of the Subcommittee on Human Ri ...

, in Russian.
Machine translation

The "I don't want to hate" campaign
in Russian.
Machine translation

The death of a giant

, in Russian .
"Sentence N1" of the "official site of the Government of the Russian Republic"
in Russian.

The blow was made very accurately
by Artyom Kostukovsky, AiF-Petersburg, for

Novaya Gazeta ''Novaya Gazeta'' ( rus, Новая газета, t=New Gazette, p=ˈnovəjə ɡɐˈzʲetə) is an independent Russian newspaper known for its critical and investigative coverage of Russian political and social affairs. It is published in Mo ...

.
Machine translation

Russian Federation. Report 2005

Amnesty International Amnesty International (also referred to as Amnesty or AI) is an international non-governmental organization focused on human rights, with its headquarters in the United Kingdom. The organization says it has more than ten million members and sup ...

.
Death of an anti-fascist from Kunstkamera
by Uliana Skoibeda,

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, ...