The well-known human rights activist Lev Ponomarev is a member of the Solidarity political council. In the past, he was a deputy of the State Duma of Russia of the first convocation. The politician has a doctorate in physical and mathematical sciences.
early years
Lev Ponomarev was born in Tomsk in 1941. A young man went to college to go to the capital. In Moscow, he received a diploma from the Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology and completed postgraduate studies there. Before becoming a famous public figure, Ponomarev worked in the scientific field for a long time during the Soviet stagnation. 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 the 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 80s, fame came to Ponomarev. In 1989, he was the confidant of Andrei Sakharov in the first democratic elections of people's deputies of the Soviet Union. At this time, new movements and parties appeared throughout the country. Could not stay away from this process and Lev Ponomarev. In 1990, a human rights activist 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 a time when he was running for the first time as president.
Then, in 1990, the next elections of deputies of the Supreme Council of the RSFSR were held. Thanks to his reputation, Lev Ponomarev also received a mandate. The human rights activist initiated the creation of a deputy commission to investigate the activities of the KGB and the State Emergency Committee during the August coup.
During the confrontation between the president and 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 were seated in the White House. Time has shown that things turned out differently.
State Duma Deputy
Once in 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). The main colleague and associate of a human rights activist in a new place was Galina Starovoitova. Initially, their block in the Duma supported the president, but after the federal troops entered Chechnya, deputies moved away from Yeltsin and his government.
Ponomarev also initiated the creation of several human rights organizations, including For Human Rights. It received complaints from people from all over the country. People who needed help could get through the hotline, which was new at the time. Such projects were supported and developed by Lev Ponomarev. For Human Rights is an organization that has done a lot to cover events in Chechnya.
Human rights activities
From the very beginning of the war in the Caucasus, the deputy opposed the deployment of federal troops. When the second campaign began, Ponomarev organized several international conferences on violations of the law in the war zone. After the parliamentary powers of the politician expired in 1996, he began to devote more time to holding rallies and other public actions aimed at expressing disagreement with the policy of the authorities.
In 2006, the Foundation for the Protection of the Rights of Prisoners was established. One of its founders was Lev Aleksandrovich Ponomarev. The biography of this public figure is an example of a person who is behind the organization of many projects and movements.
Conflicts with the FSIN
Ponomarev’s human rights work in relation to prisoners has repeatedly led to conflicts with the Federal Penitentiary Service. In 2007, the director of the FSIN, Yuri Kalinin, sued the politician (lawsuit to protect honor and dignity). The official stated that Ponomarev’s public statements regarding the state of prisons in Russia were false. In turn, the human rights activist claimed that Kalinin exceeded his own official powers.
The Presnensky District Court of Moscow examined this case and ordered Ponomarev to publicly refute his own words that the director of the FSIN is “the author of the system” that torments people. The human rights activist admitted that his wording was inaccurate. Nevertheless, the activities of his foundation continue. It continues to receive information about violations of the rights of prisoners.
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, an opposition movement whose members were involved in rallies and other massive civil actions. During several such events, Ponomarev was arrested for three days for disobedience to police officers.
In 2009, Ponomarev near his home was attacked by unknown people. A criminal case was instituted on this fact. The fact that this incident was connected with his professional activity, Lev Ponomarev himself insisted. The real name of the attackers was never clarified.
The human rights activist is married, he has four children. In his free time from his main activity, he is fond of painting. Currently continues to engage in human rights projects. In addition, Ponomarev remains one of the key figures in the Memorial society.