Robert Schuman Medal- Sergey Kovalev

BIOGRAPHY

Sergey Kovalev

Sergey Kovalev was born in 1930. In 1954 he had graduated from the Moscow State University. In 1954 - 1970 S.Kovalev was carrying scientific researches in the field of biology, biophysics. In 1969, he became a member of the Initiative group for the protection of human rights in the USSR, which was the first independent group of such kind in the Soviet Union. From the 1971 S.Kovalev was one of the editors of the bulletin of the Soviet human rights' activists.

In 1974, he was arrested on charges of "the anti-Soviet activism and propaganda", and imprisoned for 7 years. The trial took place in Vilnius, Lithuania. After the imprisonment S.Kovalev was sent to exile for 3 years.

In 1990s S.Kovalev became one of the founders of various organizations aimed at the protection of human rights. 1990-1993 he became a deputy of the Congress of the national deputies of Russia, and a chairman of the Human Rights Committee of the Supreme Soviet of Russia.

In 1993, 1995, 1999 S.Kovalev was elected to be a member of Russian State Duma (Gosduma), in 1993-1996 S.Kovalev had chaired a Commission on Human Rights at the President's office, and later resigned protesting against war in Chechnya.

In 1996 - 2003 S.Kovalev was a member of the Russian delegation in the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, playing active role in the protection of human rights in Russia.

During 1994-1996 and until now, S.Kovalev was strongly opposing the Kremlin's war policy in Chechnya. From 1996 S.Kovalev is a president of the Human Rights Institute in Russia.

Sergey Kovalev took an active role in the Vilnius International Public Tribunal on the Evaluation of Crimes of Communism in 2001.
Sergey Kovalev is one of the authors of the Declaration of rights of a man and a citizen in Russia; he was playing a main role drafting the second part of the Russian Constitution ("Rights and liberties of a man and a citizen"), as well as a number of other laws. S.Kovalev is a nominee of numerous awards and prizes for his activities in the human rights' area (e.g., Award of the Council of Europe together with Raoul Wallenberg in 1995, Award of International League for Human Rights in 1996, Award of the Norwegian Helsinki Committee in 1996, etc.).

After the prominent human rights defenders and anti-war activists G.Starovoitova, S.Jushchenkov were killed and Y.Shchekochikhyn allegedly poisoned with a rapid lethal outcome, Sergey Kovalev is rather the last survivor still on the battlefield.