On May 21st the Russian Federation remembered academic Andrey Sakharov. An illegal “May-day meeting” was organized near Sakharov’s home-museum and public center, declared by human rights activists a national non-governmental Day of Freedom. On this day the internationally known human rights activist would have turned 85 years old; at the same time the Museum and the center named in his honor, celebrated its 10th anniversary. About 500 people participated in the event, among them well-known human rights activists, journalists, lawyers and politicians. (27-MAY-06)
Text: HRH/ Moscow, Yanina Savenko. Photos: www.sakharov-center.ru
Speakers recalled Sakharov, talked about how he helped Soviet political prisoners and about the current situation in the country. Organizers of the event – the Sakharov Center, the Social-Economical and Intellectual Programs Foundation, “Union of Right Forces” party, movement “For Human Rights”, Moscow Helsinki Group and the “Memorial” society – decided that from this day on every third Sunday of May will be the national non-governmental Day of Freedom. “We have gathered here in order to protect freedom in our country while there is still something to protect”, said Yury Samodurov, Director of the Museum.
Semblance of democracy
“I’m glad to congratulate all of us with Andrey Sakharov’s jubilee and the Day of Freedom. We have established 
this holiday, not them,” said President of Andrey Sakharov’s Foundation, Chairman of the Russian “Memorial” society Sergey Kovalev. According to Kovalev, today we live again in so-called “Sakharov’s time”. We are told lies everywhere. Our country dares to call itself a Federation. Meanwhile, there is not a single federal state in the world, in which the head of a region is appointed by central authorities. Our country dares to write in the Constitution about separation of powers. At the same time, it is no secret that separation of powers doesn’t exist in the country. We have an infinitely slavish parliament, controlled justice and moreover, press censorship. Authorities create different ersatzes of democratic institutes, for example, the Public Chamber, which would never tell the authorities “Stop lying!” Today we have to act according to the principle, which Sakharov stuck to: “Do what you should do, and come what may.”
Stop sleeping!
Writer and journalist Victor Shenderovich said that Andrey Sakharov and just a few people close to him gave us an example how to stay an absolutely free person in a totally non-democratic time and in a country without any civil freedoms. “I’m sure that Sakharov would have demanded actions from our state. And we keep silent. It is a shame. It is disgraceful to sleep! I’d like to hope that the Day of Freedom, established by us today, is a proof that we don’t want to stay in hibernation,” said Sergey Kovalev. Sakharov’s illegal May-day meeting turned into a great holiday full of solemn speeches, music, songs, a festive meal and a celebratory mood. Human rights and public activists, and scientists celebrated Sakharov’s birthday in many cities of the Russian Federation. However, officially this day was not celebrated.
Sakharov is the “conscience of our epoch”
“We completely support the new holiday. Today when the authorities continue their violent attack on basic human rights and freedoms, this holiday is more indispensable then ever before in the epoch of contemporary the Russian Federation,” said Director of the Russian Research Center for Human Rights Liubov Vinogradova. Being unsatisfied with almost total control over TV, radio and major media outlets, authorities launched 
a war against spreading information through the Internet. For example, one of these days the informational website “Resurs” was closed by the Office of Public Prosecutor’s order of Ivanovski region. Apparently, the reason for it was an absolutely inoffensive article “Putin as a phallic symbol of Russia” published on the website, where in a comic tone the author looked at some thesis, advanced by Putin in his last address to Federal Assembly. As a result, a search of the author’s apartment was conducted and all informational data carriers were seized. Today when more than a half of population estimates the figure of Stalin as undoubtedly positive, Sakharov isn’t recognized by Russian inhabitants. There is no Russian media outlet, which reported about his jubilee. A big portrait of Sakharov met visitors at a museum during the exhibition “Human rights in Russia”; his quotations were placed on many stands and booklets. However, it turned out, that many young people even didn’t know who the academic Sakharov was. At the same time the human rights community and “intelligentsia” call him nothing else but the “conscience of our epoch.” Celebrating the annual Day of Freedom on Sakharov’s birthday is a way to immortalize the memory of this great man and to make his ideas the “common property” of every citizen of the Russian Federation.
