Support The Moscow Times!

Helsinki Group Elects 3 New Members to Replace Late Lyudmila Alexeyeva

Dmitri Makarov, Vyacheslav Bakhmin, Valery Borschev / Moscow Helsinki Group / MT

Russia’s oldest human rights organization, the Moscow Helsinki Group, has chosen three members to succeed the late Lyudmila Alexeyeva this week.

Alexeyeva, who was a driving force behind the Soviet civil-rights movement, died at age 91 on Dec. 8, 2018. Alexeyeva and other dissidents founded the Moscow Helsinki Group in 1976 to monitor Soviet compliance with the 1975 Helsinki Final Act, an agreement that included guarantees of basic freedoms and was intended to improve relations between the Communist bloc and the West.

The human rights organization announced Tuesday that it had elected Vyacheslav Bakhmin, Valery Borshchev and Dmitry Makarov as three co-chairmen to succeed Alexeyeva.

In a statement on its website, the Moscow Helsinki Group said its members vowed to “promote the development of the Russian and post-Soviet human rights movement.”

The group said it would continue to respond to systemic violations of political, civic and human rights and would work with state institutions, “reminding them of their tasks and functions.”

… we have a small favor to ask.

As you may have heard, The Moscow Times, an independent news source for over 30 years, has been unjustly branded as a "foreign agent" by the Russian government. This blatant attempt to silence our voice is a direct assault on the integrity of journalism and the values we hold dear.

We, the journalists of The Moscow Times, refuse to be silenced. Our commitment to providing accurate and unbiased reporting on Russia remains unshaken. But we need your help to continue our critical mission.

Your support, no matter how small, makes a world of difference. If you can, please support us monthly starting from just 2. It's quick to set up, and you can be confident that you're making a significant impact every month by supporting open, independent journalism. Thank you.

Continue

Read more