Mikhail Gorbachev: Release of Irina Ratushinskaya

Witness History

BBC

History, Personal Journals, Society & Culture

4.4 • 1.6K Ratings

🗓️ 2 September 2022

⏱️ 10 minutes

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Summary

Mikhail Gorbachev - the last leader of the Soviet Union - has died aged 91. On the eve of an important summit on nuclear disarmament between the Soviet Union and America in October 1986, Gorbachev ordered the release of a dissident poet called Irina Ratushinskaya. In 2012, Louise Hidalgo spoke to Irina about her imprisonment, her poetry, and the day she was set free. (Photo: Irina and her husband Igor, arriving in London in December 1986. Credit: Topfoto)

Transcript

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0:00.0	What's up y'all, I'm Renee Montgomery and my podcast Untold Legends Aura is available
0:05.4	now.
0:06.6	I'm looking back on the life of one of the most extraordinary black female sport stars
0:11.6	of the 20th century, whose name has been all but forgotten.
0:16.0	Aura Washington.
0:18.1	Stay listening at the end of this podcast to find out more.
0:20.9	Hello and welcome to this edition of The Witness History Podcast from the BBC World
0:33.7	Service.
0:34.7	Today we're bringing you a program about Mikhail Gorbachev, the last leader of the Soviet
0:40.6	Union, who has died age 91.
0:44.2	On the eve of an important summit on nuclear disarmament between the Soviet Union and America
0:50.2	in October 1986, Gorbachev ordered the release of a dissident poet called Arena Ratushenskaya.
0:57.9	Arena had spent four years in a labour camp and her case was taken up around the world.
1:04.1	In 2016, she told her story to Louise Hidalgo.
1:09.8	Most of the time, I was sure I wouldn't survive.
1:20.1	First of all, I was openly promised that I wouldn't survive if I wouldn't cooperate
1:26.2	with the KGB.
1:29.3	Of course, I was not allowed to write poetry.
1:36.0	If I was caught, I would have another 10 years of imprisonment.
1:41.2	They searched my punishment cell almost every day.
1:45.8	So I had to be very careful, hiding and then smuggling out this poetry to my husband and
1:54.7	to my friends.
	...

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