Annual Human Rights Conference in Memory of Yuri Markovich Schmidt
The annual conference in memory of lawyer and dissident Yuri Markovich Schmidt, dedicated to the defense of human rights in Russia, is held in Berlin with the participation of leading Russian human rights defenders, lawyers, and civil society activists, as well as international political and public figures.
Born on May 10, 1937, in Leningrad. He graduated from the Faculty of Law of Leningrad State University in 1960 and joined the Leningrad City Bar Association. He handled criminal cases involving murder and economic crimes. Since the early 1960s, he was associated with dissident circles, contributing to samizdat journals and collections. He was repeatedly summoned for questioning, and his home was searched.
Since the late 1980s, he participated in numerous criminal trials, defending individuals accused for political reasons.
In 1991, he founded the Russian Committee of Lawyers in Defense of Human Rights.
He served as a defense lawyer in high-profile cases, including the Yukos case, the case of Captain Alexander Nikitin, and the murder of State Duma deputy Sergey Yushenkov, among others. He frequently succeeded in having his clients acquitted. He consistently spoke out in defense of politically persecuted individuals in Russia and abroad.
He was a laureate of numerous Russian and international awards, including:
The first conference took place in Berlin in 2017 at the initiative of Mikhail Khodorkovsky. Later, the organizing partners became “Postcard Human Rights Defense” and the Center for Liberal Modernity (LibMod).
The conference was not held in 2020–2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Since 2022, due to new repressive laws and practices, we do not publish photos or names of participants publicly.
Правозащитная конференция памяти Юрия Шмидта / The Yuri M. Schmidt Human Rights Conference
© Все права защищены. / All rights reserved. / 2025
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К сожалению, мы не можем гарантировать места всем желающим: в этом году мы пригласим 70 человек. Мы проведем отбор поступивших заявок в течение апреля и уведомим вас не позднее 2 мая 2025 года. Пожалуйста, заполните анкету ниже:
Unfortunately, we cannot guarantee spots for all applicants — this year, we will invite 70 participants. We will review all applications during April and notify you no later than May 2, 2025. Please fill out the form below:
