Democracy News

82-year-old Dissident Tirelessly Pushes for Democratic Reform
By: Benjamin Russell 
January 20, 2010 | Printer Friendly

Lyudmila M. Alexeyeva, 82, has been pressing for greater freedom in Russia and the former Soviet Union for over forty years.  In a New York Times profile written in response to her New Year’s Eve arrest for leading an unsanctioned protest, Alexeyeva recounted her methods for outsmarting and outlasting her adversaries for so long.  Among her most effective tricks was to bring hard-to-find foods with her to tempt and distract her interrogators.  “They reacted very nervously when they smelled the ham,” she said.

After several years in the United States, Alexeyeva returned to Russia in 1993 after the fall of the Soviet Union.  Despite her country’s progress, though, she still finds cause to argue for more transparency and wider respect for human rights.  Her recent protest served as a reminder to the Russian authorities that Alexeyeva remains a formidable opponent, even in old age.

Source:

New York Times – Russian Dissident’s Passion Endures Despite Tests
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/01/12/world/europe/12dissident.html?pagewanted=2&ref=world