Refuseniks

Two men who have, in very different ways, borne witness to the totalitarianism that marked the twentieth century's dark noon are Natan Sharansky and Leonid Tsypkin. Tsypkin was the subject of a beautiful article by the late Susan Sontag, published this month in The Guardian. Sharansky has been recommended by Condoleezza Rice:

"The world should apply what Natan Sharansky calls the 'town square test': if a person cannot walk into the middle of the town square and express his or her views without fear of arrest, imprisonment, or physical harm, then that person is living in a fear society, not a free society. We cannot rest until every person living in a 'fear society' has finally won their freedom."

File under: heroes of freedom