Shatravka Alexander Ivanovich

Genus. in 1950 in Ashgabat. 8th grade education; worker. Lived in Krivoy Rog, Dnepropetrovsk region, Ukrainian SSR. 07/11/1974 with his brother Mikhail and two acquaintances crossed the Soviet-Finnish border. They were detained on the territory of Finland and handed over to the Soviet authorities on July 14, 1974.
During the investigation, he underwent a forensic medical examination at the Serbsky Institute. He was found to be suffering from schizophrenia and insane. By the decision of the Supreme Court of the KASSR dated December 27, 1974, he was sent to compulsory treatment. From 06/03/1975 to 09/21/1976 he was kept in institution IZ-308RB. Dnepropetrovsk, then transferred to the Chernyakhovsky psychiatric hospital of a special type. By the decision of the People's Court of the Ozersky District of the Kaliningrad Region, compulsory treatment in a special-type psychiatric hospital was replaced by compulsory treatment in a general-type psychiatric hospital. With permission from the USSR Ministry of Health, he was transferred to the Department of Public Health at his place of residence. He was kept in a special mental hospital until March 22, 1979. After his release he moved to Moscow.
Arrested on July 15, 1982 as an activist of the Moscow Trust Group. Sentenced on April 26, 1983, charged under Art. 187-1, 194-3 of the Criminal Code of the Ukrainian SSR, sentenced to 3 years in prison. Held in Kazakhstan, Zhanatas. Six months before the end of his sentence, he was sentenced to another two and a half years and transferred to a high-security zone in Guryev. In 1986, he was released early, deprived of Soviet citizenship, and allowed to leave the country upon summons from Israel. In July 1986 he flew to the USA, where he lives to this day.

His works “If you are sick of freedom” and “Escape from Paradise” were published in Samizdat.