Sergei Kovalev (b. 1930) has been an internationally known Russian dissident since 1968, a co-chairman of the Russian-American Human Rights Group. Along with other dissidents he jumped into the corridors of power in 1990: a State Duma deputy, the chairman of the Committee on Human Rights. In 1996 he resigned from parliament and again became an opposition leader. He is an uncompromising critic of the Russian government"s actions in the Chechen war. This is a collection of his speeches and publications in Russia and abroad on the most current issues of Russian life.