In Memoriam: Yuri Schmidt

Photo Credit: Yuri Timofeyev | RFERL

Freedom House celebrates the life and career of renowned Russian human-rights lawyer and advocate Yuri Schmidt (1937-2013). His most prominent work was defending Mikhail Khodorkovsky, the imprisoned Russian oligarch; however, his service to Russian society, especially the most vulnerable, began long before. He was a dogged defender of rights in numerous legal proceedings in the Soviet Union and participated in the dissident movement. Following the fall of the Soviet Union, Schmidt assisted refugees, especially those unable to return to Afghanistan, by providing legal assistance and holding seminars and roundtables on refugee issues. In the late 1990s, he defended a prominent environmental rights activist accused of treason for his exposure of nuclear contamination. Schmidt’s advocacy in the case had a lasting impact by creating a precedent that allows defendants to choose their lawyers, even in cases involving classified information and accusations of treason. In all of his endeavors, Schmidt displayed a singular desire to defend his clients, defend human rights, and advance the cause of human rights and democracy in Russia.

Learn more:

Freedom in the World 2012: Russia

Nations in Transit 2012: Russia

Freedom of the Press 2012: Russia

Freedom on the Net 2012: Russia

Blog: Freedom at Issue