On April 21, 2018, the presentation of the book “Personality: Kotlyar I.I.” was held in the Brest central municipal library named after A.S. Pushkin. The authors of the book are Svetlana Ptichkina, senior lecturer at Brest State Technical University, and Arsentiy Golovchenko, board member of the Belarusian section of the International Society for Human Rights. The decision on its publication has been adopted by the board and the Scientific and Expert Council of the Belarusian section of the International Society for Human Rights based on the recommendations made by the participants of the republican seminars on human rights and civil society issues carried out by the organization in 2009–2017. The presentation was conducted by the Scientific and Expert Council of the Belarusian section of the International Society for Human Rights and the Directorate of the Brest central municipal library named after A.S. Pushkin.

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Speaking Natal’ya Artemchik, head of the reading room of the Brest central municipal library named after A.S. Pushkin

Scientists and public figures from Brest and Minsk, journalists, and library staff gathered in the conference hall of the library on this day. The speakers were: Deputy Chairman of the Standing Committee for Foreign Affairs and National Security of the Council of the Republic of the National Assembly of the Republic of Belarus Grigory Bysyuk, Associate Professor of the Belarusian State University Sergey Simanovsky, Honorary Professor of Brest State Technical University Vitaliy Severyanin, writer Nikolay Panasyuk, Professor of Brest State Technical University Mikhail Stralets, Professor Ivan Kozhukh, author of the books “Chernobyl”, “Liquidation. From the Chernobyl diary of a counterintelligence officer” Aleksey Krivoshein, author of the book “The Lifeline of Mankind” Evgeniy Korol, head of the reading room of the Brest central municipal library named after A.S. Pushkin Natalya Artemchik, journalists, and library staff. All of the participants in the discussion highly appreciated both the book and the results of the scientific and public activities of Professor Kotlyar I.I.

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Speaking Grigory Bysyuk, Deputy Chairman of the Standing Committee for Foreign Affairs and National Security of the Council of the Republic of the National Assembly of the Republic of Belarus

Kotlyar I.I. is an outstanding Belarusian scientist, human rights activist, enlightener, significant figure of the modern Belarusian society, a man of strength hardening and purpose. These values are merged together and subordinated to the main thing in his life – serving the most humane idea in the world – human rights. The problems of the theory, protection, and realization of human rights become the basis of his activities and the meaning of the entirely of his life since 1973.

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Professor Ivan Kotlyar standing on the background of the main and recent works and publications

He rightly can be called a pioneer in the field of human rights in modern Belarus. In 1996, he published the teaching aids “Human Rights” and “Human Rights. Modern views and mechanisms of protection.” They were the very first scientific and methodical publications on the problem of human rights in the country. At the parliamentary hearings on June 23, 1998, he spoke about the need to introduce human rights courses in the education system. In the same year, he fulfilled the assignment of the Ministry of Education on the preparation of the curriculum “Human Rights” for higher educational institutions of the republic.

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Speaking Arsentiy Golovchenko, board member of the Belarusian section of the International Society for Human Rights, co-author of the book “Personality: Kotlyar I.I.”

Kotlyar I.I. has excellent organizational skills. 22 years ago he created and successfully manages the Republican Public Association for the Protection of Human Rights – the Belarusian section of the International Society for Human Rights. From 1996 to 2009 he prepared and conducted at Brest State University named after А.S. Pushkin 6 (six) republican and international theoretical and practical conferences on human rights.

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Speaking Professor Ivan Kotlyar

In 2009, the professor turned out to be the only one in the field of human rights who, on his own initiative, organized on the basis of Brest State University named after A.S. Pushkin the work of the republican seminar on human rights for teachers of higher education, which proved effective, worked until 2017.

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Speaking Valeriy Samosevich, methodologist of the Departament on educational work with the youth of Brest State Technical University

His efficiency, purposefulness, and deep faith in the ideals of human rights are an inspiration. He lives according to the laws of conscience, justice, and in accordance with the principle “it is better to light one candle than to curse the darkness all the time.” He has been passing all his accumulated experience and knowledge to the student’s youth for over 30 years.

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Speaking Aleksey Krivoshein, author of the books “Chernobyl”, “Liquidation. From the Chernobyl diary of a counterintelligence officer”

As chairman of the board of the Belarusian section of the International Society for Human Rights, he was invited to the parliamentary hearings in the House of Representatives of the National Assembly of the Republic of Belarus on human rights in 1998 and on the death penalty (2002).

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Speaking Sergey Simanovsky, Associate Professor of the Belarusian State University

Kotlyar’s scientific, human rights, and pedagogical activities received international and domestic recognition. In 2001, he was awarded the Honorary Diploma of Honor of the International Biographical Centre in Cambridge (UK). Information about him was published in the 18-volume “Belarusian Encyclopedia”, as well as in the encyclopedias of the International Biographical Centre “2000 Outstanding Intellectuals of the 21st Century”, “Outstanding Scientists of the 21st Century”, and other encyclopedias and dictionaries.

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Speaking Professor Ivan Kotlyar

Ivan Ivanovich was also awarded with medals “For Distinguished Labour” and “300 Years of Mikhail Vasil’evich Lomonosov”, Honorary Letters of the National Assembly of the Republic of Belarus, Honorary Diplomas of the Ministry of Education of the Republic of Belarus and the Brest Regional Executive Committee, received letters of thanks from the United Nations Office in Belarus.

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Speaking Professor Ivan Kotlyar

Professor Kotlyar I.I. is a respected leader in the field of human rights in Belarus and the creator of the national education system in this field. This is a highly intelligent, modest, respectable, and honest person who, like a magnet, draws other people to him.

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The experience of his work in the field of human rights education and scientific understanding of this phenomenon of the world civilization, according to the general opinion of the participants in the presentation, should be disseminated and fully used by international organizations such as UNESCO, the United Nations, and the International Society for Human Rights (ISHR).

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As a result of the presentation, recommendations were adopted, including to Professor Kotlyar I.I. to continue his scientific and social activities, to the board of the Belarusian section of the International Society for Human Rights to find financial opportunities for a reissue of the book “Personality: Kotlyar I.I.”, to present materials on the results of the public and scientific-pedagogical activities of the professor to a state award.

The materials of the presentation were widely covered in mass media: the reportage on the presentation was broadcasted on the “Bug-TV” channel, the reviews were published in the newspapers “Brestskij vestnik” (Brest) and “Nastawnіckaya gazeta” (Minsk). The duration of the presentation was also photographed.

It is better to light one candle…

With the belief in the ideals

As a result of the presentation, we made the following conclusion: creative cooperation between the Belarusian section of the International Society for Human Rights and the Brest central municipal library named after A.S. Pushkin was fruitful for both sides.

Simanovsky S.I., Executive Secretary of the board of the Belarusian section of the ISHR.