Democracy Award presented to Memorial Society

The National Endowment for Democracy (NED) has presented its Annual Democracy Award to the leaders of Russia's most outstanding non-governmental groups that are working to advance and preserve democracy in Russia. The award presentation was performed in Washington on June 9.

The recipients of the 2004 Democracy Award are Chairwoman of the Moscow Helsinki Group Lyudmila Alekseyeva, Board Chairman of the International Memorial Society Arseny Roginsky, President of the Glasnost Defense Foundation Aleksey Simonov, and Director of the Independent Council for Legal Expertise Mara Polyakova.

The roundtable discussion titled "Prospects for Democracy and Human Rights in Russia" preceded the award presentation, which took place in the Hart Senate Building. The discussion was moderated by Librarian of Congress James Billington, with presentations by Russian human rights activist and widow of Andrey Sakharov Elena Bonner and Russia expert Michael McFaul. Commentators at the roundtable included US Senator from Arizona John McCain, US Congressman from California Christopher Cox, Washington Post columnist Jackson Diehl, and Russia expert Stephen Sestanovich.

Commenting on the choice to honor the Russian activists, NED President Carl Gershman said, "More than a decade after the fall of communism in the Soviet Union, Russia is at a crossroads. Either it can move forward toward democracy, economic prosperity, and the rule of law; or it can move backward toward state domination of society and the economy, restrictions on basic freedoms, corruption and autocracy. These groups are in the vanguard of those working to make sure that democracy and freedom are Russia's future and they deserve our utmost support."