The French Association “The Friends of Yury Bandajevski” supports the project of the Center “Ecology and Health” founded by Professor Bandajevski
Like Professor Yury Bandajevski, we believe that: “The position of concealing the true scale of the consequences of the Chernobyl disaster, while being reluctant to take proper measures to protect public health, is immoral.”
We recognize that the people affected by this catastrophe, especially the liquidators who contributed substantially to mitigating its fallout, cannot overcome all the problems it generated on their own.
We observe both the difficulty in obtaining reliable data on radioactive contamination levels and population health, as well as the shocking absence of consistent systemic action to address the consequences of Chernobyl, which grow more dramatic each passing year. We are convinced there is a direct link between these two facts.
This is why we support the project of the Center “Ecology and Health” in its effort to provide validated scientific information on the consequences of chronic, long-term radiation exposure. Professor Bandajevski’s life path — an exemplary commitment to scientific integrity and medical duty — demonstrates that he has the resolve and knowledge to lead this fight.
We also support the “Model of integrated livelihoods in the area of radioactive contamination” implemented by the Center “Ecology and Health”, considering its multidimensional approach to be the only justifiable one, both ethically and practically. Highly beneficial actions — such as measuring internal radionuclide incorporation in the body, providing medical treatment, or arranging clean-environment recuperation trips for children — only achieve lasting effect when these children, upon returning home, do not resume ingesting radionuclides with food. This integrated model links local initiatives into a coherent whole and multiplies their impact.
Twenty-four years after the accident, with consequences continuing to unfold — from high suicide rates among liquidators to the prevalence of severe illnesses in children, from reproductive challenges to deep concern for the health of grandchildren, from demographic crises to immense human suffering — effective assistance becomes an absolute moral necessity.
The French Association “The Friends of Yury Bandajevski”
A non-profit non-governmental organization whose statutory aims are to:
- support Professor Yury Bandajevski in his scientific and civic action to inform the international community about the health of populations affected by the Chernobyl disaster and other technological catastrophes;
- support Professor Yury Bandajevski in his efforts to protect affected populations, especially those continuing to reside in radiocontaminated areas;
- help mobilize resources in cooperation with international organizations to assist these people: investigating their condition, the causes of illnesses, and developing prevention, treatment, and social assistance;
- assist in securing funding for the structure coordinating research, public awareness, and medical assistance;
- promote and disseminate his scientific works and research findings worldwide.
Biography of Professor Yury Bandajevski
At thirty years old, in 1987, Yury Bandajevski became the youngest professor of medicine in the entire Soviet Union. Following the Chernobyl catastrophe, he left Grodno and went to Gomel (Belarus) — the epicenter of the most contaminated territories — where he founded a State Medical Institute.
At this institute, in less than a decade, thousands of patients were treated, hundreds of physicians trained, numerous state doctoral theses defended, and extensive scientific research programs conducted (download CV in DOC). Professor Bandajevski and his research team discovered, described, and analyzed the syndrome of chronic incorporation of long-lived radionuclides (CISR) — a major breakthrough recognized by the international medical community.
In an international scientific environment where research on the harmful consequences of radiation was frequently suppressed, and in 1990s Belarus under an intensifying post-Soviet regime, Yury Bandajevski publicly declared the duty of honest disclosure, providing rigorous scientific evidence on the unfolding public health tragedy.
He served as Rector of the Gomel State Medical Institute for 9 years until his political arrest by the regime in 1999, which triggered widespread international outcry. He was promptly adopted as a Prisoner of Conscience by Amnesty International and supported by the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights.
His wife and colleague, Dr. Galina Bandajevskaya, received European Liberty Passport No. 25 on his behalf from the European Parliament. On the eve of the 20th anniversary of the disaster, on April 25, 2006, Professor Bandajevski — member of multiple world scientific academies and honorary citizen of numerous French cities (Paris, Marseille, Besançon, Auxerre, Clermont-Ferrand, etc.) — was released with a ban on returning to Belarus.
He worked in France for 17 months in Clermont-Ferrand (twin city of Gomel), before returning to direct fieldwork in affected areas: first in the Baltic States at Vilnius University, and then in Ukraine (Kyiv) at the invitation of the Liquidators’ Union and their families.
In Kyiv, he founded the Coordinating and Analytical Center “Ecology and Health”. His scientific and moral authority united leading specialists to implement the Integrated Livelihood Model in radiocontaminated areas. Members of the European Parliament have actively supported his efforts in securing international program funding.
Support & Participation
You can support the association's mission by getting in touch or making a contribution dedicated to funding:
- the publication of analytical materials, monographs, and books;
- the translation of scientific documents and research;
- the organization of international conferences, expert roundtables, and humanitarian initiatives.
Thank you for your solidarity!
Association Contacts:
Association des amis de Yury Bandajevski
La Vernelle, 63350 Culhat, France
Email: amis.y.bandajevski@gmail.com
Tel: (+33) 06 10 31 31 58