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Remembering Elena Bonner, Soviet Dissident

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Elena Bonner, widow of Soviet-era dissident Andrei Sakharov, at the European Parliament in 2008 (AP)
Elena Bonner, widow of Soviet-era dissident Andrei Sakharov, at the European Parliament in 2008 (AP)

Were it not for obituaries in the Boston Globe, the New York Times and periodicals around the world, few people may have realized that a giant in the human rights movement was living in Brookline.

Elena Bonner was a leading Soviet dissident and, perhaps most notably, she was the wife of Andrei Sakharov, the famed Soviet nuclear scientist turned outspoken advocate for peace and nuclear disarmament.

She died Saturday at 88 from heart failure.

We discuss Bonner's life and her role in fighting for human rights in Russia and beyond.

Guest:

  • Joshua Rubenstein, northeast regional director of Amnesty International USA and author of several books about Soviet dissident movement.

This segment aired on June 20, 2011.

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