Kaisha Atakhanova was born in Karaganda, an industrial city and former gulag. She graduated in biology from Karaganda State University and began full-time research, specialising eventually in the genetic effects of radiation on amphibians. In 1992 she abandoned her research to found the Karaganda Ecological Center, to promote environmental protection and grass-roots democracy in Kazakhstan. She recently ran a successful campaign to block a plan to import nuclear waste into Kazakhstan for disposal
What do you remember about the nuclear tests when you were young?
We lived 400 kilometres away from the tests, which took place in a closed area…
