The Dutch government announced that it would make available the historic Knights Hall for an international tribunal on behalf of Soviet dissident Andrei Sakharov, to be held in The Hogue on September 4-5. The medieval building stands close to Parliament and is the most prestigious meeting place in Holland.
The tribunal was initiated by Dr. Michael Stern, a Soviet-Jewish physician who emigrated several years ago with his sons August and Victor. Although they originally went to Israel, they have since settled in Holland. The purpose of the tribunal is to alleviate the treatment of Sakharov, a scientist and Nobel Laureate who has been expelled from Moscow to Gorki.
The tribunal will be attended by Sakharov’s daughter who lives in France, by French author Michael Foucould and by representatives of the French branch of the International Sakharov Tribunal Foundation of which Stern is secretary. A government spokesman said the knights Hall was put of their disposal for “practical” reasons. The government does not intend to send representatives or observers.
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