To the memory of Kristoffer Gjotterud
We dedicate this initiative to the memory of famous Norwegian human rights activist, professor of nuclear physics of the University of Oslo Kristoffer Gjotterud (1931 — 2001). Professor Gjotterud was one of those who most actively supported Soviet Jews in the "heroic" period of their struggle for the right to Go, in 70-ies — 80-ies. His "interventions" were so effective that Soviet authorities subjected him to "repression": from 1980 to 1989 he was refused in permit to enter USSR. This however did not decrease his energy in defending Andrei Sakharov, Yuri Orlov, Anatoli Shcharan-ski, and other Soviet dissidents and Jewish refuseniks, he again and again protested against State anti-semitism in the former USSR. Kristoffer Gjotterud, being a Chairman of the "Norwegian Committee for Soviet Jews" (now: "Norwegian Committee for Jews in CIS") and a member of the Board of Norwegian mass organization "Help the Jews Home", along with his wife Michaela Span-dow and his friends and colleagues continued to support the human rights movement in new Russia during 90-ies. Kristoffer Gjotterud also actively worked and protested against ethnic cleansing of Moslem minority in Bosnia and Kosovo created by order of Belgrade. He permanently defended rights of refugees — of those whom authorities of Norway tried to deport from the country. Belong-ing to the Norwegian Evangelical Lutheran Church he strongly protested against new obligatory School program in Christianity and religion in Norway which, as he put it, "is the violation of re-ligious rights and freedoms of many religious and non-religious groups". Kristoffer Gjotterud was a person of fantastic kindness and of inexhaustible humor. With all his human rights work he demonstrated and realized in practice the main wisdom of the world human rights movement — "non-statistical approach", the acknowledgement of the invaluable importance of every concrete personality. This wisdom can be traced back to the ancient Jewish tradition ("One who saves a person — he saves the Universe..."). Kristoffer Gjotterud passed away on December 30, 2001, after 3 years of struggle with incurable decease. Hundreds of people came to his service of the dead. Elena Bonner's Farewell Word read at the service says: "... It is real pain that such a pure and compassionate person passed away. We did not often meet, but every time I met him I was strongly impressed by his deep understanding of our prob-lems. One may think: where is Norway and where are we? And what do our troubles and prob-lems matter to Norway? However the future of our children and grandchildren is in fact in the hands of such universally not indifferent people like Kristoffer Gjotterud...". "Name of Kristoffer Gjotterud was written to the Golden Book of Jerusalem".. Boris Altshuler and all staff of the "Movement without Frontiers" and of the "Right of Child" |
