He was born in 1953 in Moscow. Since the early 1970s, he has been involved in the democratic movement in the USSR. He investigated the use of psychiatry for political purposes and supported political prisoners in special psychiatric hospitals. He was twice convicted under the article on defamation of the USSR for authoring books and articles, and for distributing samizdat. He spent five and a half years in prisons, internal exile, and labor camps. In the post-Soviet era, he served as the editor-in-chief of the weekly newspaper “Express-Khronika,” a columnist for “Novaya Gazeta,” a journalist for RFI, Polskie Radio, Radio Liberty, and Belsat. He is the author of books such as “Punitive Medicine,” “Dissidents,” and others.
“When I was in prison, my family received assistance from the Russian Public Foundation for Assistance to Political Prisoners during those difficult days. I am indebted to the people who started this initiative. I know how important it is for the political prisoners themselves, for their families, and for the entire Russian society.”