CURRICULUM VITAE
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Valery Fjodorovich Abramkin
Born:
Moscow, Russia, May 1946
Education:
Moscow Mendeleyev Institute of Chemical Technology
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Employment:
1970 - 1976 Research Fellow, Moscow Institute of Chemical Technology;
dismissed on political motivation; author of more than 30 research works in
nuclear technic and technology
Human Rights Activities:
 1988 - present Founder
and Director of the PRISON AND LIBERTY (presently, MOSCOW CENTER
FOR PRISON REFORM) - non-governmental group to monitor the human rights
of prisoners.
Founder and a principal
author of the weekly radio program prisoners (since 1991)
Co-founder of the NGO's
dealing with prisoners' rights: The Society for the Defence of Imprisoned
Businessmen and Economic Freedoms; The Foundation to Help Prisoners
and Those on Release; The Society for the Welfare of Prisoners, and some
others.
Expert for the
Parliamentary Legislation Committee: working out proposals for the 1992
Alterations and Amendments to the Penal Code.
Expert for the State Duma
Commission to reveal human rights violations in pretrial detention and police
lockups.
In 1992, initiated
International Conference on prison reform in former totalitarian countries; was
in charge of the Conference Organizing committee
In December 1993 was
awarded by The Soros Foundation for "professionalism and responsibility in
coverage of the election campaign to the Federal Assembly.
1985 - 1989 Living in
exile under the surveillance of the Ministry of Interior officials in Tverskaya
region. Working for two years in the orphanage for disabled children.
1982 - 1985 Serving a
second three-year term in a Siberian colony
under Article 190-prim.: "for anti-soviet propaganda and slanderous
fabrications to discredit the Soviet system". In the end of the term, a
case was filed for "malicious contempt of the requirements od the
administration" (Andropov's invention that provided for six years of
imprisonment). The case was stopped due to the involvement of the Western
non-governmental organizations.
1979 - 1982 Arrested and
sentenced to three years of imprisonment under the notorious Article 190-prim.
While in colonies, some articles were written and sent illegally to the freedom
and published in the West.
Since the late 1960s:
Leader of the youth opposition movement. A chief editor and member of the
editorial staff of the samizdat magazines VOSKRESENIE ("Resurrection")
and POISKI (brief from: "Seeking for mutual understanding"). Author of
a number of articles published in the Western press.
Appointments and membership:
Member of the
Presidential Council for Judicial Reform
Deputy Chairman of the
Human Rights Commission at the Presidential Public Chamber
Member of the Moscow
Helsinki Group.
Member of the expert
group for the Presidential Commission for Human Rights.
Member of Penal
Reform International.
Other information:
Author of the guidebook
for prisoners TO HELP THE PRISONER (How To Survive in a Soviet
Prison).
Author and compiler of
four collections of sociological studies on the prison world, reports on prison
conditions and human rights abuses in Russia's penal institutions. Author of
many articles occurred in the Russian and Western press; a co-author of many
video tapes shot in criminal colonies and TV programs about penall matters.
Author of the book “IN
SEARCH OF A SOLUTION: Crime, Criminal Policy and Prison Facilities in the Former
Soviet Union”, in Russian and English, Himan Rights Publishers, Moscow,
1996.
List of other publications edited by Valery
Abramkin:
"Letters
from the Zone", Moscow, 1992, 36 p.
The booklet contains letters-responses to the events which occurred in the
fall of 1991, a time of mass unrest among Russian prisoners. This is the first
time since the riots of 1953-54 that the GULAG's
prisoners put forward political demands. On November 13, 1991, prisoners
throughout Russia went on strike. The booklet also includes other materials
concerning these events.
"Tuberculosis
in Russian Prisons and Camps", Moscow, 1992, 14 p. In Russian and English
(an abridged version).
The pamphlet examines the causes of TB epidemics in Russian penal
institutions. It includes fragments from letters of prisoners infected by TB.
"Prison
Reform in the Former Totalitarian Countries" (a collection of the
conference proceedings). Issues 1-2. Moscow, 1993. In Russian and English. Issue
1, English version - 45 pages; issue 2 - 80 pages.
"Human
Rights Violations during Arrest and Detention in IVS
and SIZO". Issue 1. Moscow, 1994. In
Russian and English. About 80 pages.
Books
of a series "Criminal Russia. Prisons and Camps".
Issue
1: "The Prison World Through the Eyes of Political Prisoners", Moscow,
1993, 287 p.
A collection of interviews with former political prisoners who served their
terms in common criminal camps in the period from late 1940s to the mid-80s.
Excerpts in English and German are available (18 pages).
Issue
2: "Letters from the Zone: Late-80s". Moscow, 1993, 260 pages.
A collection of prisoners' letters, received by the news media in 1987-88,
interviews with experts.
There have been a great of articles, radio and TV program of ch Valery
Abramkin was an author or participant.
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