Journalist and human rights activist Zoya Svetova: biography, activities, photos

2024 Author: Henry Conors | [email protected]. Last modified: 2024-02-12 02:45

Zoya Feliksovna Svetova is a journalist, publicist and human rights activist. Her articles are always objective and honest. An exceptionally pure and straightforward person, Zoya Feliksovna exposes meanness and cowardice where corruption and deceit flourish. She takes to heart the fate of people who have been treated unfairly.

Childhood

Zoya Svetova (photo above) was born on March 17, 1959 in Moscow, in the family of writers Zoya Krakhmalnikova and Felix Svetov. Zoya's parents, well-known people, except for writing, were active in social activities. Mom Zoya Alexandrovna - candidate of philological sciences, published in Soviet publications. In the 1970s, she came to faith, converted to Orthodoxy, collected sermons from priests who were imprisoned for their beliefs, printed spiritual texts and pre-revolutionary books of sermons.

Her books have been published in the West. The Soviet government was in every possible way against the church. Zoya Alexandrovna was accused of anti-Soviet agitation and sentenced to a year in prison and five years in exile. She is one of the few who did not agree to admit their guilt and refused to accept the release from the new government. A sincere and whole person, she showed herlife that being a Christian means living by faith.

Felix Grigoryevich - the father of Zoya Svetova - a graduate of the Faculty of Philology of Moscow State University. He started his career as a critic. Author of books, published in many Soviet publications. He converted to Orthodoxy in 1991. Books on theological and political topics were published in the West. In 1985, after the publication of the book The Biography Experience, Zoya's father was arrested and sentenced to five years in exile for anti-Soviet agitation and propaganda.

Zoya Svetova says she has always been proud of her parents. According to her, her parents were constantly busy, so a nanny appeared in their house, then Zoya was sent to a kindergarten with a five-day period. Oddly enough, she really liked it there. Maybe it was in kindergarten that she learned to plan her time, be organized and do a lot. Learned to find a common language with people and make friends.

Students

Svetova Zoya Feliksovna says that as a child she read a lot, attended a drama club at school and spent all her free time there. She saw her later life exclusively on stage. An attempt to enter the theater institute was unsuccessful, and she entered the foreign language, the French department. In 1982 she graduated from the Institute of Foreign Languages. Maurice Thorez.

When I was still studying at the institute, my friend Viktor Dzyadko came to visit her father. Zoya liked the young cyberneticist right away. They called back, then started dating, and after a while he asked Zoe's parents for her hand. The young people got married in a church near Moscow and playedwedding.

Family

There are four children in the family of Zoya and Victor. While they were little, Zoya continued to translate, her husband Victor had to retrain as a typesetter, as it was an opportunity to work at home and look after them. Zoya Svetova says that the children learned to read early and coped with the lessons on their own.

The father became an example for them in many ways, good relations between parents do not pass by the attention of children. The children respected their father, listened to his opinion. Zoya Feliksovna says that although her career with her husband did not work out as they dreamed, the most important we alth in the family is wonderful and friendly children.

They all graduated from the Humanities University. The Dzyadko brothers - Phillip, Timofey and Tikhon - are familiar to many as the hosts of the weekly program Dzyadko-3. The eldest son Phillip is the editor of The New Times magazine, Timofey is a correspondent for RBC, Tikhon is the host of the Dozhd TV channel. The youngest daughter Anna is a student.

Career

When the children grew up a little, Zoya Svetova began working at the school as a French teacher. According to Zoya Feliksovna, she liked teaching at school, but at some point she realized that it was not her. I went to work as a translator for French radio. Subsequently, she became a journalist, and this profession captured her.

From 1999 to 2001, she worked as an assistant correspondent for the newspaper Liberation, one of the largest French newspapers covering pressing social issues on its pages. Posts based on factsdocumented, which ensures the newspaper's reputation.

From 2001 to 2003 Zoya Feliksovna was a correspondent for the Novye Izvestiya newspaper.

From 2003 to 2004, Zoya Svetova worked as a special correspondent for the political department of the Russian Courier newspaper. Then (from 2004 to 2005) the editor of the policy department in the same publication.

From 2009 to 2014 she was a columnist for the socio-political magazine The New Times.

Journalism

Svetova Zoya began publishing in 1991 in the magazine "Family and School", with which she collaborated until 1993. From 1993 to 2001 - columnist for the newspaper "Russian Thought". Published articles in Kommersant, Russian Telegraph, Moscow News, Novaya Gazeta, Obschaya Gazeta. Published in the magazines "Ogonyok", "Weekly magazine", "Itogi". In French editions - France Soir, Le quotidien, Depeche du midi, Ouest-France.

Currently, Zoya Feliksovna collaborates with many publications. A frequent guest on the radio "Echo of Moscow", "Radio Liberty". As a human rights activist and journalist, a person who is not indifferent to the fate of other people, conducts active human rights activities and posts articles on well-known online resources.

Community activities

Zoya Svetova is an expert on projects related to the judiciary and human rights at the Soros Foundation, a charity in the field of education, he alth, and civil initiatives. In Russia, this organization supported the fund's project"Mother's Right" - defended the rights of parents whose children died in the army; funded projects related to education.

From 2002 to 2004 - representative of the international organization Reporters Without Borders in Moscow. The activity is to support journalists who are imprisoned due to their professional activities.

Zoya Svetova is a journalist who has chosen the most dangerous area of her activity - the court. A place where deceit and corruption flourish. Running around the courts, driving through prisons and pre-trial detention centers and, as a rule, challenging people in positions of power and not weighed down by conscience. Only a courageous and decent person is able to expose injustice and meanness. Currently, she is a member of the PMC, a commission that monitors the observance of human rights in places of deprivation of liberty.

Awards

2003 - Laureate of the "Arbitrariness in the Law" award in the "Violation of Personal Rights" nomination.

2003 - laureate of the "Human Rights and Strengthening Civil Society in Russia" award of the Union of Journalists and Amnesty International.

2009 - Winner of the Gerd Bucerius Free Press of Eastern Europe Award.

2003 and 2004 - Sakharov Prize "For journalism as an act".

Find an innocent person guilty

In 2011, a documentary novel by Zoya Svetova "Recognizing the innocent as guilty" was published. The stories, facts and arguments in the book are compelling and thought provoking. A captivating and amazing book, with quite recognizable prototypes in real life.

The heroes of the novel are a Chechen girl and a Moscow scientist who became victims of an unfair trial. How and why did this happen? Whose interests are covered by people in judicial robes? The author, Zoya Svetova, is trying to open the veil and figure it out.

The biography of this wonderful woman and a wonderful journalist makes a strong, indelible impression. Z. F. Svetova is a person in whom compassion lives, a fighter for justice, who consciously reveals the most dangerous and acute problems of social life.