We are saddened by the death of long-time human rights activist and educator Marek Nowicki. A nuclear physicist by training, Marek was active in the underground opposition movement in communist Poland in the 1970s and 1980s. In 1989, following the collapse of communism in Poland and throughout Eastern Europe, Marek Nowicki was elected president of the Helsinki Foundation for Human Rights.
Marek was one of the authors of the “Charter of Human Rights” that was in part incorporated into the new Polish Constitution in 1997. Marek was also a widely respected lecturer, trainer and advisor. He wrote numerous publications on human rights, including screenplays. Marek also initiated the Helsinki Foundation’s Human Rights School.
Marek inspired and actively supported the human rights movement in post-communist states. During his life time he became a symbol for the non-violent struggle for human dignity and civil rights. Marek Nowicki died in Warsaw on 10 October 2003. He was a member of HREA’s International Advisory Committee. We will remember Marek as a passionate educator and advocate for human rights.