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Witness History, Witness History, Mikhail Gorbachev: Release of Irina Ratushinskaya

Witness History

Witness History

Mikhail Gorbachev: Release of Irina Ratushinskaya

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September 2, 2022

10 minutes

Available for over a year

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)