Lev Ponomarev: biography, political and social activities

The well-known human rights activist Lev Ponomarev is a member of the political council of Solidarity. In the past, he was a deputy of the State Duma of the first convocation. The politician holds a doctorate in physics and mathematics.

early years

Lev Ponomarev was born in Tomsk in 1941. To study in high school the young man has gone to capital. In Moscow, he received a diploma from the Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology and graduated postgraduate study there. Before becoming a well-known public figure, Ponomarev during the Soviet stagnation for a long time worked in the scientific field. In particular, he was an employee of the Institute of Theoretical and Experimental Physics.

In the Brezhnev era, Lev Ponomarev joined the dissident movement. He worked with the Moscow Helsinki Group, helped its members and first chairman Yuri Orlov. In 1988, Lev Ponomarev became one of the founders of the "Memorial" society. This movement was organized to perpetuate the memory of the victims of Soviet repression (especially during the Stalin period).

At the end of the Soviet era

In the late 80's, Ponomarev was famous. In 1989, he was a confidant of Andrei Sakharov in the first democratic elections of people's deputies of the Soviet Union. At this time across the country there were new movements and parties. Lev Ponomarev could not stay away from this process. The human rights activist in 1990 became one of several founders of "Democratic Russia". It was a political movement that united all the opposition parties to the CPSU in the country. An important step of "Democratic Russia" was the support of Boris Yeltsin at the time when he ran for the first time in the presidency.

At the same time, in 1990, regular elections of deputies of the Supreme Soviet of the RSFSR were held. Thanks to his reputation, Ponomarev Lev Alexandrovich also received a mandate. The human rights activist was the initiator of the creation of the deputy commission, which investigated the activities of the KGB and the State Emergency Committee in the days of the August coup.

During the confrontation between the president and the parliament, the politician organized Yeltsin's meetings with democratic parties several times. Then the head of state assured that he would not disperse the deputies who had settled in the White House. Time has shown that events have developed differently.

Deputy of the State Duma

Having become a member of the State Duma of Russia in 1994, Ponomarev became the leader of the Democratic Russia party (the name is the same as the first movement of the politician, but these are different organizations). Galina Starovoitova became the main colleague and associate of human rights activist in a new place. Initially, their bloc in the Duma supported the president, but after the federal troops entered Chechnya, the deputies moved away from Yeltsin and his government.

Also, Ponomarev was the initiator of the creation of several human rights organizations, including "For Human Rights." It received complaints from the whole country. People who needed help could call the hotline, which at that time was a novelty. Such projects were supported and developed by Lev Ponomarev. "For Human Rights" is an organization that has done a lot to cover the events in Chechnya.

Human rights activities

From the very beginning of the war in the Caucasus, the deputy opposed the introduction of federal troops. When the second campaign began, Ponomarev organized several international conferences on violations of law in the war zone. After the politics of the politician expired in 1996, he devoted more time to holding rallies and other public actions aimed at expressing disagreement with the policy of power.

In 2006, the Foundation "In Defense of the Rights of Prisoners" was established. One of its founders was Lev Alexandrovich Ponomarev. The biography of this public figure is an example of a man behind whom is the organization of many projects and movements.

Conflicts with FSIN

Ponomarev's human rights activities against prisoners repeatedly led to conflicts with the Federal Penitentiary Service. In 2007, the director of the Federal Penitentiary Service, Yuri Kalinin, sued politics (an action to protect his honor and dignity). The official said that Ponomarev's public statements concerning the state of prisons in Russia are false. In turn, the human rights activist claimed that Kalinin exceeded his own official powers.

Presnensky District Court of Moscow reviewed the case and ordered Ponomarev to publicly refute his own words that the director of the FSIN is the "author of the system" who tortures people. The human rights activist admitted that his wording was inaccurate. Nevertheless, the activities of its foundation continue. It continues to receive information about violations of prisoners' rights.

Currently

In 2006, Ponomarev was arrested for three days because of his solitary picket in memory of the victims of the terrorist attack in Beslan. Then several international organizations recognized him as a prisoner of conscience. Two years later he became the founder of "Solidarity" - the opposition movement, whose members were engaged in holding rallies and other mass civilian actions. During several such events, Ponomarev was arrested for three days for disobeying police officers.

In 2009, Ponomarev was attacked by unknown people near his house. On this fact, a criminal case was opened. The fact that this incident is associated with his professional activities, insisted himself Lev Ponomarev. The real name of the attackers has not been clarified.

The human rights activist is married, he has four children. In his spare time, he is fond of painting. Currently, he continues to deal with human rights projects. In addition, Ponomarev remains one of the key figures of the society "Memorial".