Gleb Yakunin

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Gleb Yakunin (Russian: Глеб Павлович Якунин; born March 4, 1934) is Russian priest and dissident who fought for the freedom of conscience in the Soviet Union. He is member of Moscow Helsinki Group, and he was elected to Russian Parliaments from 1990 to 1999.

Contents 1 Life 2 References 3 Writings 4 Links 4.1 His writings 4.2 Russian Orthodox Church 4.3 See also

[edit] Life

Gleb Yakunin was born in the family of a musician. He studied Biology in Irkutsk Agricultural Institute. Yakunin became Christian in the end of 1950s when he met Alexander Men. He graduated from the Moscow theological seminary of Russian Orthodox Church in 1959. In August 1962 he became the priest and was appointed to the parish of the city of Dimitrov near Moscow.

In 1965, Yakunin wrote, together with priest Nikolai Eschliman, an open letter to the Patriarch of the Russian Orthodox Church Alexius I where he argued that the Church must be liberated from the total control of the Soviet state. The letter was published in Samizdat. In May 1966 he was forbidden to continue his practice in the parish. Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn supported Gleb Yakunin and Nikolai Eschliman in his letter to Alexius I.

In 1976 he created the Christian Committee for the Defense of the Rights of Believers in the USSR. He published several hundreds of articles about suppression of the religious freedom in the Soviet Union. These documents were used by dissidents of all religious denominations. Yakunin was arrested and convicted for anti-Soviet agitation in 28 August 1980. He was kept in KGB Lefortovo prison until 1985, and then in a labor camp known as "Perm 37". Later, he was punished by involuntary settlement in Yakutia.

Gleb Yakunin was amnestied in March 1987 under Mikhail Gorbachov. He was allowed to return to Moscow and worked until 1992 again as priest. He was rehabilitated in 1991. In 1990 Yakunin was elected to the Supreme Soviet of Russian Federation and worked as deputy chairman the parliamentary committee for the freedom of conscience. He was co-author of the law about "The freedom of all denominations" that was used for the opening of churches and monasteries in the country.

Gleb Yakunin was a member of the committee created for the investigation of Soviet coup attempt of 1991 and gained the access to secret KGB archives. In March 1992 he published materials about cooperation the Moscow Patriarchate with KGB. He revealed code names of several high-rank KGB agents in the Orthodox church: Patriarch Alexius II, Mitropolit Filaret of Kiew, Pitrim of Volokolamsk, and others. The church took revenge in 1993 by excommunicating him. Yakunin joined Ukrainian Autocephalous Orthodox Church

Gleb Yakunin was one of organizers of the democratic alliance "Choice of Russia" in 1993. He became a Duma delegate from the party "Democratic Russia" in 1996. He created the Committee for Defense of Freedom of Conscience in 1995. He criticized the law "On Freedom of Conscience and Religious Associations" adopted by Duma ^{[1] [2]} and made numerous statements in support of human rights in Russia. ^[3]

Gleb Yakunin is married and has three children: Maria, Alexander and Anna.

[edit] References

1. ^ Declaration of the Committee for Defense of Freedom of Conscience regarding the Russian State Duma's adoption of the draft of the law "On Freedom of Conscience and Religious Associations", 20-06-97
2. ^ Father Gleb Yakunin: Religion Law Is a Step Backward for Russia
3. ^ Appeal of the representatives of Russian civil society, November 15, 2005

[edit] Writings

• Gleb Jakunin, Lev Regelson: Christians under communist rule call, as answer we?: Appeal at D. 5. Plenary assembly D. Ökumeni advice D. Churches . Faith in the 2. World, Küsnacht 1978
• Gleb Yakunin, Lev Regelson: Letters from Moscow: Religion and human rights into the USSR . Keston college, Keston/San Francisco 1978
• Gleb Yakunin: O sovremennom polozhenii Russkoi Pravoslavnoi Tserkvi i perspektivakh religioznogo vozrozhdeniya Rossii: Doklad Khristianskomu Komitetu zashchitu prav veruyushchikh v SSSR . Posev, Frankfurt/Main 1979
• Sergei Pushkarev, Vladimir Rusak, Gleb Yakunin: Christianity and government in Russia and the Soviet union: Reflections on the millennium . Westview press, Boulder/London 1989, ISBN 081337524X

[edit] Links

[edit] His writings

• Biography and photo album of Gleb Yakunin (Russian)

[edit] Russian Orthodox Church

• Christopher Andrew and Vasili Mitrokhin The Sword and the Shield 1999, Chapter 28, THE PENETRATION AND PERSECUTION OF THE SOVIET CHURCHES
• Russia: The Orthodox Church And The Kremlin's New Mission - by Victor Yasmann, RFE/RL, April 10, 2006.
• Russia: Introduction Of Religious Curriculum Studied, RFE/RL, September 7, 2006
• Letter by David Satter
• Chekists in Cassocks: The Orthodox Church and the KGB - by Keith Armes
• The Russian Orthodox Church under Patriarch Aleksii II and the Russian State: An Unholy Alliance? - by Leslie L. McGann
• THE BATTLE FOR THE RUSSIAN ORTHODOX CHURCH - by Vladimir Moss
• THE ORTHODOX CHURCH AT THE END OF THE MILLENIUM, 1990-2000 by Vladimir Moss
• The Betrayal of the Church - by Edmund W. Robb and Julia Robb, 1986
• THE YAKUNIN VS. DVORKIN TRIAL AND THE EMERGING RELIGIOUS PLURALISM IN RUSSIA - by Marat S. Shterin and James T. Richardson
• U.S. Food Aid Through Patriarchate May Be Abused, Priest Says; Distributor Tied to Illegal Activity & Trafficking in Parts of Unborn Babies - by Russia Reform Monitor No. 584, February 11, 1999

[edit] See also

• Yakov Krotov and his library