Nijolė Sadūnaitė

Nijolė Sadūnaitė (22 July 1938 – 31 March 2024) was a Lithuanian clandestine Catholic nun of the Soviet period who worked with the Chronicle of the Catholic Church in Lithuania.^[1] In 1975 she faced three years of imprisonment for her efforts. She spent time imprisoned in Mordovia and then in Boguchany.^[2] She reportedly faced a variety of abuses in this period, including torture.^[3] She wrote A Radiance in the Gulag about her experiences.^[4][5]

In 2018, Sadūnaitė received the "Lithuanian Freedom Award".^[6] She was the first female in history to receive the award.^[7]

Sadūnaitė died on Easter Sunday, 31 March 2024, at the age of 85.^[8]

References

1. Tapinas, Laimonas et al., eds. (1997) "Lietuvos katalikų bažnyčios kronika" (PDF) Žurnalistikos enciklopedija (in Lithuanian) Vilnius: Pradai pg 284 ISBN 9986-776-62-7
2. "An `Underground Nun' in Lithuania. Nijole Sadunaite works for religious freedom, and views Gorbachev with skepticism. INTERVIEW: SOVIET DISSIDENT". The Christian Science Monitor. 24 April 1989. Archived from the original on 11 March 2023.
3. "What Would the World Be Like Without Him?" by Robin Wright in the July 1994 Issue of The Atlantic
4. "In the Land of Crosses" from the September 2013 "First Things"
5. A review of "A Radiance in the Gulag" in the January 17, 1988 LA Times
6. "Disidentei Nijolei Sadūnaitei įteikta Laisvės premija". 13 January 2018.
7. "Nijole Sadunaite, Lithuanian Nun Who Opposed Soviet Rule, Dies at 85". The New York Times.
8. "Mirė disidentė, vienuolė Sadūnaitė". lrt.lt (in Lithuanian). 31 March 2024. Retrieved 31 March 2024.

External links

• LITHUANIANS RALLY FOR STALIN VICTIMS (by Bill Keller, 24 August 1987, The New York Times)
• Lithuania Rights Unit Protests to Gorbachev (The New York Times)