Linked with our presentation of Soldiers’ Mothers of St. Petersburg.
She is one of the 1000 women proposed fort the Nobel Peace Price 2005.
She says: “In Russia, the time has come to recognize your personal dignity. It is time to take the responsibility for your own life and the destiny of your loved ones into your own hands.”
Ella-Maria Polyakova – Russian Federation
She works for ‘Soldatskiye Matieri Sankt-Pietierburga (Soldiers’ Mothers of St. Petersburg)‘. There she works for an active advocating of human rights issues in Russia, particularly in relation to the issues facing soldiers in the Russian army. The main activities of Soldiers’ Mothers include publishing information on human rights, working with military people, publicizing the situation of soldiers in Russia and especially Chechnya. One of the principle activities of the organisation is the School of Human Rights and its programme: « We Protect Our Sons ». This programme, held twice weekly, is attended by 100-150 people per session. (See on Pax Christi International).
Ella-Maria Polyakova (born 1941) graduated from the Leningrad Institute of Communication and worked as an engineer and researcher. She is active in the field of human rights. In 1991, she was one of the Russian activists who went to Vilnius and Riga to support democracy. In autumn 1991, she created the NGO Soldatskiye Matieri Sankt-Pietierburga (Soldiers’ Mothers of St. Petersburg), which uncovers violations of soldiers’ human rights. She participates in conferences in Russia and abroad, speaking on human rights issues and advocating peace.
links:
in russian: Soldiers Mothers.