Abstract

The paper analyses the human rights discourse in the Soviet Union during the Brezhnev era. It explores in what way and to what extent the international human rights norms as stipulated in the Final Document of the Conference on Security and Cooperation in Europe (CSCE) transformed the Soviet discursivepractices. Thereby it considers the fact that one of the main features of the Soviet public space in the Brezhnev era was its division into an offi cial and anunderground realm. This divide provided the battle ground for fi erce contestations concerning the correct interpretation of these norms and rights. The Sovietoffi cials regarded human rights as an internal affair whereas dissidents advocated that these comply with international laws. Within this turmoil dissidentsappealed at the international human rights catalogue questioning the legitimacy of the Soviet state and thus they radically changed Soviet power practice.