Iosif Begun

Iosif Ziselovich Begun, sometimes spelled Yosef (born July 9, 1932; Russian: Иосиф Зиселевич Бегун, Hebrew: יוסף ביגון), whose last name is pronounced "bee-goon" and in Russian literally means "runner," is a former Soviet refusenik, prisoner of conscience, human rights activist, author and translator. Over the course of 17 years, Begun was imprisoned three times and spent over eight years in prisons and labor camps as a political prisoner.^[1] He was pardoned and freed in 1987 after political pressure from Jewish political organizations and the U.S. Government.