Elena Bonner wrote, “My life was typical, tragic and wonderful,” perfectly capturing the attitudes of this remarkably courageous woman, who was drawn into human rights activism when her parents became victims of the Stalin’ persecutions (her stepfather was shot, and her mother survived years in the Gulag) and by her own humanity. “Everyone’s Lusya” was how prisoners referred to her, as on countless occasions, she posed as someone’s sister or niece to be allowed to pass prisoners food parcels, warm socks or other essentials that only relatives were allowed to give.
Her marriage in 1972 to Andrei Sakharov, who by then was a well-known dissident, created a power couple that drew admiration from all over the world and kept the KGB on its toes.
When the KGB banned Andrei Sakharov from collecting his Nobel Peace Prize, it was Elena Bonner who delivered his Nobel lecture.
After Sakharov’s untimely death in 1989, Bonner worked tirelessly on preserving his legacy, launching the Sakharov Archives and Museum in Moscow.
Today, an exhibition in her honor became the last public event at the Sakharov Museum in Moscow, as the Moscow authorities gave the Museum and the Archives 30 days to vacate their premises.
At the ASF, we remember Elena Bonner as a wonderful woman, who continues to inspire us by her courage, perseverance, charisma and love of life.
