The Orthodox Christian Studies Center is holding a discussion on the life, faith, and ultimate sacrifice of Alexei Navalny, the fearless Russian opposition leader who died in prison in February 2024 under circumstances widely believed to involve the Russian regime. Yulia Navalnaya, Navalny’s widow and his successor as the leader of the Russian opposition, received the Athenagoras Human Rights Award in 2024.
Distinguished speakers at this extraordinary event include Vladimir Kara-Murza, a prominent Russian dissident and human rights advocate who himself endured imprisonment and continues to champion democracy, and Serge Schmemann, Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist and member of The New York Times editorial board. This conversation will explore faith, resilience, and the enduring fight for truth against authoritarianism. Schmemann was among the featured speakers at the Athenagoras Human Rights Award banquet honoring Ms. Navalnaya in New York City on October 19, 2024.
This event will be held on Thursday, March 27, 6:00 p.m. ET in Lowenstein 12th Floor Lounge on Fordham’s Lincoln Center Campus at 113 West 60th Street in New York City. It is free and open to the public.
Professor Archon George Demacopoulos and Professor Archon Aristotle Papanikolaou are the co-founders of the Orthodox Christian Studies Center at Fordham University. The Orthodox Christian Studies Center provides a space within a university setting for engagement with Orthodox Christianity by undergraduate and graduate students, participating faculty, and friends. It seeks to promote understanding of Orthodox Christianity in Western Culture; to preserve and perpetuate a vibrant Orthodox Christian tradition in America; to articulate the value and relevance of the Orthodox Christian tradition; and to promote ecumenical dialogue and relations, especially with Roman Catholicism.
Seen as a personal enemy of Vladimir Putin, Navalny’s unshakable commitment to justice and democracy came at the highest cost, leaving a legacy that continues to inspire people worldwide.
Drawing inspiration from Alexei Navalny’s recent book Patriot, which offers reflections from his final months in court and prison, this event will explore the profound role of his Christian faith in sustaining his courage and hope. Even amidst unimaginable oppression, his faith served as a wellspring of resilience and strength.
Vladimir Kara-Murza is a Russian politician, author, historian, and former political prisoner. A close colleague of the slain opposition leader Boris Nemtsov, he has served as deputy leader of the People’s Freedom Party and was a candidate for the Russian Parliament. Leading diplomatic efforts on behalf of the opposition, Kara-Murza played a key role in the adoption of Magnitsky sanctions against top Russian officials by the United States, United Kingdom, European Union, Canada, and Australia. For this work he was twice poisoned and left in a coma; a joint media investigation by Bellingcat, The Insider, and Der Spiegel has identified FSB officers behind the attacks.
Serge Schmemann is a member of the editorial board of The New York Times, focusing on international issues. Before that he was for ten years the editorial page editor of the International Herald Tribune in Paris, to which he was assigned shortly after The New York Times assumed full possession of the IHT. Mr. Schmemann joined the Times in December 1980 after eight years with the Associated Press, and worked for many years as a correspondent and bureau chief in Johannesburg, Moscow, Bonn, Jerusalem and the United Nations. He was the deputy foreign editor of The New York Times from 1999 to 2001. Mr. Schmemann was awarded the Pulitzer Prize in 1991 for coverage of the reunification of Germany, and an Emmy in 2003 for his work on a television documentary about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
