Russian Human-Rights Activist Found Beaten to Death in New Jersey

Michail J. Makarenko, a 75-year-old human rights activist who had been jailed in the former Soviet Union, was beaten to death on Thursday at a New Jersey highway rest stop by a man trying to sell him religious CDs, The Washington Post reports.

Mr. Makarenko and a friend were on their way from Washington to New York when Brian K. White, of Humble, Tex., approached Mr. Makarenko to sell him a Christian music CD. When Mr. Makarenko declined, witnesses said, Mr. White struck him on the head with a landscaping rock.

Authorities are investigating why Mr. Makarenko was attacked, but said there is no indication that the two men knew each other. Mr. White has been charged with murder and is expected to appear in court today.

According to friends, Mr. Makarenko had lived in the United States since 1979, when he was exiled by the Soviet government for his repeated dissident activities, which included running an avant-garde art gallery and engaging in union organizing.

He served a total of 11 years in prison. His longest term, eight years, was for anti-Soviet agitation. While in prison, he continued his activism, working for prisoners’ rights. Since coming to the United States, Mr. Makarenko had been a writer and lecturer, and testified before Congress about slavery in the Soviet Union.

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