Yesterday (04/17/2023), as guests of the Hamburg Foundation for the Politically Persecuted, I, together with the poet from Belarus, Yulia Timofeeva, took part in a discussion held at the Hamburg Town Hall as part of the Hamburg "Days of Exile". The Town Hall is not only the residence of the local government and parliament of the Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg, but also a museum of the late XIX century. A little bit from the history of the Free City of Hamburg. In 1241, the Union of the German cities of Lubeck and Hamburg was formed. By the beginning of the XV century, the Hansa united about 160 cities united by trade and economic interests, including Veliky Novgorod. The well-known German journalist Johannes von Donanyi acted as the host of the current event. The welcoming speech was delivered by Mrs. Carola Veit, President of Hamburg Citizenship (Chairman of the State Parliament of the Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg).

The moderator of the discussion asked me how it could happen that the Russian people, known for their cultural achievements, supported military aggression against an independent state. I replied that it happened to the Russian people in the same way as in the last century with the German people, who were also known for their philosophers and cultural figures. Unfortunately, authoritarian countries are not uncommon in the world and the methods of rule of dictators are similar. This is total propaganda for its own population, the search for internal and external enemies, repression against dissidents. In the case of countries that are small in size and territory, like Portugal, only their own people suffer from the dictator, and in the case of countries like Germany or Russia, neighboring peoples and even the entire world community suffer. 

In conclusion, we expressed the hope that Russia and Belarus will become free and democratic countries. Photo 1. From left to right, Johannes von Donanyi, Yulia Timofeeva and Alexander Goncharenko; Photo 2. Carola Veit; Photo 3. Alexander Goncharenko answers questions; Photo 4. Participants of the event Photo 5. Participants of the event; Photo 6. Johannes von Donanyi, Yulia Timofeeva, Alexander Goncharenko and Martina Berle (Managing Director of the Hamburg Foundation for Political Persecuted); Photo 7. In memory of the background of the Hamburg Town Hall

Alexander Goncharenko, doctor, politician and human rights activist

A meeting of Russian emigrants living in Germany was held in Hamburg on 04.04.

The organizer was an independent German foundation, which has been conducting its charitable activities since 1959.

The format of the meeting was an exchange of ideas between Russian intellectuals in exile and some experts. The meeting was attended by Russian human rights defenders, journalists, representatives of science and culture, civil activists (23 people in total).

Galina and I also took part in the event (photo 1). During the presentation of the participants of the event, we told how, under the threat of criminal prosecution, we urgently moved to Kazakhstan, and then 6.5 months later, thanks to the International Human Rights Organization Amnesty International, with the support of the Hamburg Foundation, the Politically Persecuted emigrated to Germany.

It was interesting to talk with the well-known Russian journalist and the head of the Charity Foundation "Russia Sitting" with Olga Romanova (photo 3), writer Sergei Lebedev, with members of the Memorial Society liquidated by the Russian authorities Elena Zhemkova and Irina Shcherbakova (photo 2), and many others.

Alexander Goncharenko, doctor, politician and human rights activist