Those who have a dream

On the day of the 50th anniversary of Martin Luther King, Radio Liberty turned to civilian activists of different countries with the question of their dream

On the occasion of the 50th anniversary from the day when the leader of civil rights in the United States Martin Luther King made his famous speech “I have a dream” , Radio Liberty asked civil activists from different countries to tell what they dream of today and what the future of their countries see. King’s speech was uttered during the “Washington” march, in which 200 thousand African Americans who fought for their civil rights took part.

Shirin Ebadi, Iran

66-year-old Shirin Ebadi-Iranian human rights activist and lawyer. In 2003, she became the first Iranian and the first Muslim to receive the Nobel Prize of the World. Ebadi defended many journalists arrested on charges in connection with their professional activities, and in addition to defend the rights of Iranian women and children, initiator of the reforms of Iranian family law. After re -election in 2009, the post of President of Iran Mahmud Akhmadinejad, she lives in exile.

"My dream is that the human heart is revealed to the globalized world ... Thus, so that every person can feel the pain and grief of the other, as if it were his own pain and his own grief. Instead of globalizing trade and economics, globalize humanity! I have a dream when, instead of sharing humanity, borders will unite people. I have a dream that instead I know that in today's anxious world, this dream may seem unrealizable that many successes of humanity began to be just about the independence of India and the abolition of slavery, but today these dreams have come true.

Natasha Kandich, Serbia

67-year-old Natasha Kandich is a human rights activist and founder of the Humanitarian Law Center, who is fighting for human rights and reconciliation in the countries of the former Yugoslavia. Her study played a key role after the start of investigation of war crimes in the International Tribunal in the former Yugoslavia. Despite the fact that in Serbia they ambiguously evaluate the activities of Kandych, it has received many international awards in the field of human rights. In 2005, she became an honorary citizen of Sarajevo, and in 2006, the Order of the Danitsa Croatian "for his contribution to the dissemination of moral values" received from the hands of the President of Croatia.

"I often think about how they called all the victims of the Yugoslav war and how to break the Balkan silence about the past and the dead ... There are always numbers, not names in memory. This is my dream. I hope that one day all the inhabitants of the former Yugoslavia and the whole world will recognize the names of the victims of war and war crimes."

Olga Noskovets, Russia

Olga Noskovets 36 years old. Born and lives in the city of Sochi. She worked as a guide. Since 2007 - an environmental activist, an employee of an environmental shift in the North Caucasus, a member of the Sochi branch of the Russian Geographical Society. A member of the WWF volunteer camp to save birds on the shore of the Kerch Strait after the collapse of tankers with oil products in 2007. In 2008, an active participant and organizer of the pickets as part of the All-Russian campaign "We will save Utrish!" In defense of the nature of the Black Sea coast of Russia, as a result of which it was possible to stop the cutting and destruction of the unique pistachio-young forest for the needs of the President of Russia. Participant of the ecological camp in the Khimkinsky forest. Volunteer in Krymsk. Currently fighting the Olympic development in Sochi. Thanks to the actions of ecologists, in particular Olga Noskovets, the construction of one of the most scandalous Olympic projects - the Kudepstinsky TPP was stopped.

"I had a favorite job, dreams of business development, I worked as a guide. I was interested in. We showed people natural objects than my city: gorges, canyons, waterfalls. But then the Olympic project of Sochi began. I felt that it was hypocrisy - to carry people, to tell them how beautiful, we were on the cut -out meadows, near the mountains of garbage. Schlagbaumes for a paid entrance, I have no longer a salesman at the bazaar, trying to impress low-quality goods under a beautiful wrapper. And do not run around the mountains and forests and not rush under equipment. "

Tolekan Ismailova, Kyrgyzstan

Tolekan Ismailov has been fighting for human rights for many years in Kyrgyzstan. She is the head of the non -governmental organization "Kyrgyzstan. One world" (earlier this organization was called "Citizens against Corruption"). Her activities have repeatedly caused a reaction from the authorities: Ismailova threatened, she was beaten and detained. In 2010, she worked in the south of the country during ethnic clashes between the Kyrgyz and the Uzbeks and was forced to leave her homeland after that - due to threats.

"We tried to find a peaceful tool in order to change the system: to use the power of civil action. The actions of Martin Luther King, the Dalai Lama and many others served as an example. We need to establish a dialogue to achieve mutual understanding without weapons or violence. And the authorities should not think that its representatives are smarter than the population: we twice overthrew the authoritarian governments after they neglected the principles of freedom, civil society, civil society. And now we have a parliamentary system that gives civilian activists to observe and participate in the development of equal branches of the authorities, because there are many young people inspired by Martin Luther King in Kyrgyzstan that every citizen is understood, regardless Near the Kyrgyz border, we were all born equal and have equal rights.

Anastasia Dashkevich, Belarus

23-year-old Anastasia Dashkevich is one of the youngest civilian activists in Belarus, deputy head of the unregistered movement "Young Front". For her opposition activity, she was arrested many times. In 2011, the US State Department presented her with the International Women's Prize for Courage. In December 2012, she married Dmitry Dashkevich, the head of the “Young Front”, who at that time was serving a sentence for committing malicious hooliganism on the eve of the presidential election. The international community considers his pursuit of the Belarusian authorities politically motivated. Dashkevich was released on August 28 this year.

"I have a dream: I want to live in a country where there is no fear. There is no fear for my family, relatives, friends. When you know where they do, and there is confidence that everything will be fine. I want to live in a country where love dominates, where people are proud, that they live here and rejoice that they see around. I believe that there will be such a country. People will educate children. To teach in Belarusian, in the Belarusian, it will not be experienced by objects in secondary school and in universities. where the male laws and laws of God are observed that Belarus will become just such a country.

Dmitry Makarov, Russia

Dmitry Makarov is 31 years old. Born in Orel. He graduated from the Orlov State University, then graduate school of Moscow State University named after Lomonosov in Moscow. One of the leaders of the youth human rights movement, a participant in the legal security team for Legal Team activists. The author of the famous Russian project "Five Correles for the Police", which resulted in the introduction of amendments to the federal law "On the police" that simplify the communication of police with citizens. Member of the International Supervisory Mission during the Russian-Georgian War in 2008. Member of the legal support team in Belarus in 2010. One of the initiators of the implementation of the Institute of Independent Public Observers at Public Events, in Courts.

"I have a dream of the brotherhood of civilian activists and simply indifferent people who, regardless of the borders of the misfortune of others, perceive as their own, together react to totalitarian challenges, to wars at different points in the world.
I would like to live in a country in which the interests of a particular person, the value of freedom, justice and dignity are more important than territories and certain national and state interests. And in this sense, the concept of human rights that I protect, it is not about happiness on Earth, but about the minimum standards of life that allows many people not to feel humiliation and feel free. And I would like my country to observe this minimum. "

Irina Sheleketova, Russia

Irina Sheleketova is 24 years old. For two years now I have been working in the Committee "Civil Assistance", where he has been engaged in projects for assistance to labor migrants in Russia. Before that, she studied at the RSUSU with a specialty "Social Anthropology", so, as she herself says, "love for other cultures and in general for people I have almost professional quality."

“I have a dream, since childhood, such a naive dream is that there is peace around the world. Now I really want stereotypes about migrants, about certain characteristics of people, about world politics, about what is happening around people, they are too lazy to recognize information, they are inclined to perceive everything superficially, to read the headlines of articles, but do not delve into their essence. Unfortunately, this is so much imposed by the myth that all the migrants are bad than understanding the entire complex structure and finding who is to blame for Russia so that the pre -election campaign of all candidates does not come down to the migration policy in the same direction.


Martin Luther King's dream in the United States was embodied.