Eduard Kuznetsov
Encyclopedia
Eduard Kuznetsov is a Soviet dissident
, human rights
activist, and writer.
In 1961, Kuznetsov was arrested for the first time and served seven years in Soviet prisons for making overtly political speeches in poetry readings at Mayakovsky Square in the centre of Moscow and for publishing samizdat
(publishing yourself what the Soviet printing presses were forbidden from publishing. An illegal activity in USSR.)
After his release, he was one of the organizers of the Dymshits-Kuznetsov hijacking affair
in May 1970 and was arrested for "high treason", punishable by the death sentence
. His capital punishment
sentence was appealed and after international protests his sentence was replaced with fifteen years of incarceration. This affair "opened the doors of emigration to thousands of Soviet Jews." In 1970 Kuznetsov shared a prison cell with Danylo Shumuk
for five years.
In 1979 he and four other dissidents were exchanged for two Soviet spies arrested in the US. Kuznetsov then emigrated to Israel
. From 1983 to 1990 he was chief of the news department of "Radio Liberty". In 1992 he cofounded the Israeli Russian-language newspaper, "Vesti" ("The News"), which he edited until 1999.
Kuznetsov is a member of the Pen Club
and was widely published in European, US and Israeli media. He is the author of three novels: "Prison Diary", "Mordovian Marathon" ("both written secretly in prison and smuggled abroad") and "Russian Romance", all of which have been translated into many languages. In 1974, "Prison Diary" won the Gulliver Award in France
, being declared the best book written by a foreign author.
In 2005 Kuznetsov participated in "They Chose Freedom
", a four-part television documentary on the history of the Soviet dissident movement. He currently lives in Jerusalem, Israel and is a board member of Soviet dissident aid foundation The Gratitude Fund.
Dissident
A dissident, broadly defined, is a person who actively challenges an established doctrine, policy, or institution. When dissidents unite for a common cause they often effect a dissident movement....
, human rights
Human rights
Human rights are "commonly understood as inalienable fundamental rights to which a person is inherently entitled simply because she or he is a human being." Human rights are thus conceived as universal and egalitarian . These rights may exist as natural rights or as legal rights, in both national...
activist, and writer.
In 1961, Kuznetsov was arrested for the first time and served seven years in Soviet prisons for making overtly political speeches in poetry readings at Mayakovsky Square in the centre of Moscow and for publishing samizdat
Samizdat
Samizdat was a key form of dissident activity across the Soviet bloc in which individuals reproduced censored publications by hand and passed the documents from reader to reader...
(publishing yourself what the Soviet printing presses were forbidden from publishing. An illegal activity in USSR.)
After his release, he was one of the organizers of the Dymshits-Kuznetsov hijacking affair
Dymshits-Kuznetsov hijacking affair
The Dymshits–Kuznetsov aircraft hijacking affair was an attempt to hijack a civilian aircraft on 15 June 1970 by a group of Soviet refuseniks in order to escape to the West...
in May 1970 and was arrested for "high treason", punishable by the death sentence
Death Sentence
Death Sentence is a short story by the American science-fiction writer Isaac Asimov. It was first published in the November 1943 issue of Astounding Science Fiction and reprinted in the 1972 collection The Early Asimov.-Plot summary:...
. His capital punishment
Capital punishment
Capital punishment, the death penalty, or execution is the sentence of death upon a person by the state as a punishment for an offence. Crimes that can result in a death penalty are known as capital crimes or capital offences. The term capital originates from the Latin capitalis, literally...
sentence was appealed and after international protests his sentence was replaced with fifteen years of incarceration. This affair "opened the doors of emigration to thousands of Soviet Jews." In 1970 Kuznetsov shared a prison cell with Danylo Shumuk
Danylo Shumuk
Danylo Lavrentiyovych Shumuk was a Ukrainian political activist who served a total of 42 years imprisoned by three different states, Second Polish Republic, Nazi Germany and Soviet Union.- Living in the Second Polish Republic:...
for five years.
In 1979 he and four other dissidents were exchanged for two Soviet spies arrested in the US. Kuznetsov then emigrated to Israel
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
. From 1983 to 1990 he was chief of the news department of "Radio Liberty". In 1992 he cofounded the Israeli Russian-language newspaper, "Vesti" ("The News"), which he edited until 1999.
Kuznetsov is a member of the Pen Club
International PEN
PEN International , the worldwide association of writers, was founded in London in 1921 to promote friendship and intellectual co-operation among writers everywhere....
and was widely published in European, US and Israeli media. He is the author of three novels: "Prison Diary", "Mordovian Marathon" ("both written secretly in prison and smuggled abroad") and "Russian Romance", all of which have been translated into many languages. In 1974, "Prison Diary" won the Gulliver Award in France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
, being declared the best book written by a foreign author.
In 2005 Kuznetsov participated in "They Chose Freedom
They Chose Freedom
They Chose Freedom is a four-part TV documentary on the history of political dissent in the USSR from the 1950s to the 1990s. It was produced in 2005 by Vladimir V...
", a four-part television documentary on the history of the Soviet dissident movement. He currently lives in Jerusalem, Israel and is a board member of Soviet dissident aid foundation The Gratitude Fund.
External links
- Eduard Kuznetsov biography at The Gratitude Fund
- Alexander Ginzburg and the Resistance to Totalitarian Evil, Then and Now, a 2002 interview with Eduard Kuznetsov, Vladimir BukovskyVladimir BukovskyVladimir Konstantinovich Bukovsky is a leading member of the dissident movement of the 1960s and 1970s, writer, neurophysiologist, and political activist....
and Yuri Yarim-Agaev - Gulag Day, a 2002 interview with Vladimir Bukovsky, Eduard Kuznetsov, Yuri Yarim-Agaev, Paul HollanderPaul HollanderPaul Hollander is an American scholar, journalist, and conservative political writer. He is known for his criticisms of Communism and left-wing politics. In 1956, he escaped to the west from his native country. He has a Ph.D in Sociology from Princeton University, 1963 and a B.A. from the London...
and Richard PipesRichard PipesRichard Edgar Pipes is an American academic who specializes in Russian history, particularly with respect to the Soviet Union...
Interview with the "Memorial" society Interview at Sem40 Biography and books at Belousenko library