The Sakharov Human Rights Fellowship Program at Harvard University

The Sakharov Program on Human Rights at the Davis Center for Russian and Eurasian Studies at Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA, and the Andrei Sakharov Center and Museum in Moscow, Russia, call for applications to the Sakharov Human Rights Fellowship Program (fall 2008), made possible by the support of the United States Agency for International Development/Russia.

Description: Fellows will be in residence at the Davis Center, Harvard University, for the five-month period August through December 2008. During their tenure at Harvard, Fellows will pursue research in the Sakharov Archive at Harvard and/or work with a human rights organization, write one paper in conjunction with their research or internship, deliver at least one seminar, and participate in other human rights programs at Harvard (such as working with Harvard faculty who teach courses on human rights, meeting informally with Harvard undergraduate students, and participating in high school teachers’ curriculum workshops). Fellows will receive a living stipend of up to $20,000, office space, computer support, borrowing privileges in the Harvard libraries, and a health insurance allowance.

Eligibility: Fellowships are open to scholars of law and human rights, innovative high school and university history and civics educators, human rights activists, and journalists working for independent media organizations on human rights issues. Their work must focus on the development of democracy in Russia, publicizing crimes against humanity, preserving the historical memory of resistance to totalitarianism in the FSU, and/or safeguarding civil liberties and human rights in Russia.

Applicants must be citizens of the Russian Federation, in the early-to-middle stages of their career, have working knowledge of written and spoken English, and basic computer skills.

Application: Application form is available on the Sakharov Museum and Center web site http://www.sakharov-center.ru/. Applicants should submit forms completed in both English and Russian. Enclosed with the application should be (also in English and Russian): A. Statement of purpose, including a description of the applicant’s proposed research project and/or intended work at a human rights NGO; B. Statement outlining how knowledge and experience gained during fellowship period will be applied in Russia; C. Curriculum vitae (CV).

Three (3) letters of reference should be sent directly by the recommenders to the Sakharov Museum.

Deadline: Monday, May 5, 2008. Completed applications should be submitted by E-mail to Yuri Samodurov, Director of the Sakharov Museum, at <samodurov@sakharov-center.ru>; if necessary, they can also be faxed to (495) 917 2653. Letters of reference can also be submitted by E-mail to Yuri Samodurov, at samodurov@sakharov-center.ru, signed letters of reference must be faxed to (495) 917 2653. The subject line of the E-mail and the fax should read “Sakharov Fellowship.”

Decisions: The Sakharov Fellowship Moscow Committee at the Sakharov Museum will consider all applications and submit its recommendations to the Advisory Board of the Sakharov Program on Human Rights at the Davis Center. The Advisory Board of the Sakharov Program will make the final selection of Sakharov Fellows from the candidates recommended by the Moscow Committee. Decisions will be announced in early to mid June 2008.