Natan Sharansky Supports Belarusian Political Prisoners :: Charter'97 :: News

A notable former Soviet anticommunist, dissident, Israeli politician and writer, one of the leaders of the ruling Likud party, a former Minister without portfolio, responsible for Jerusalem, social and Jewish diaspora affairs Until May 2005 Natan Sharansky presented his book “Fear No Evil”, which describes his experience of struggle with the totalitarian system in the USSR. One copy of the book has been sent to the imprisoned former minister of Foreign Economic Relations, Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary Ambassador of Belarus Mikhail Marynich. Books will also be sent to the leader of the Strike Committee of Vendors, member of the “Free Belarus” Valery Levaneuski, who is serving a two-year term in colony for alleged labelling Lukashenka, the leader of the Belarusian Social Democratic party (Narodnaya Hramada) Mikola Statkevich, and the leader of the “Young Front” Paval Sevyarynets, who had been sentenced to two years of personal restraint and corrective labour for organizing protest rallies.

“I started to write this book right after my release and was writing it for a year, trying not to forget a single detail. I hurried to tell about those who stayed in GULAG, and to share experience with those who could get there,” Natan Sharansky wrote about his book “Fear No Evil”. The initial aim of the book is to give those who could have to face the KGB (State Security Committee) the benefit of my experience”.

Natan Sharansky, a prominent former Soviet human rights activist, one of the leaders of the movement of Soviet Jews, was born on January 20, 1948. Sharansky was one of the founders and the spokesman of Jewish and the Refusenik movement in Moscow Helsinki Watch Group. He was convicted on the trumped up charges of treason and spying and sentenced to 13 years of forced labour. He had spent 9 years in prisons and camps. He was released under the pressure of Western leaders, emigrated to Israel and created the Zionist Forum. Sharansky is the chairman and founder of the political party Yisrael BaAliya ("Israel for aliya" or wordplay "Israel on the rise") promoting the absorption of the Soviet Jews into the Israeli society. He occupied a number of important positions in the government: he served as the Deputy Prime Minister of Israel, Minister of Housing and Construction, Interior Minister of Israel, Minister of Industry and Trade. He is one of the leaders of the ruling Likud party, a former Minister without portfolio, responsible for Jerusalem, social and Jewish diaspora affairs.