One quarter of a century earlier than openDemocracy, on 12 May 1976, the Moscow Helsinki Group was born. It emerged from a dissident idea which reasoned that citizen groups can and should observe governments’ compliance with international human rights agreements. It was a movement that transformed the world and our understanding of politics. If there is one thing we have learnt from this history, it is that the single most powerful way to progress is greater intellectual freedom and open exchange of ideas and information. openDemocracy will play a central role in delivering that, right up to 2050.
Author: Anna Sevortian