Born in 1940 in Warsaw. After the fall of the Warsaw Uprising in 1944, was deported to a camp in Thuringia. His father was murdered in 1944 in a death camp.

Graduated from the Warsaw University Physics Faculty in 1964. In 1980, obtained a PhD degree from the Physics Institute of the Polish Academy of Sciences. Worked at the institute since graduation in 1964 until 1983, when he was dismissed as a result of political repression and then jailed. After release from prison, worked at the Jagiellonian University Physics Institute as editor of Acta Physica Polonica.

In 1976, participated in the campaign to help workers in Radom protesting the political oppression. Since 1977, was a member of the Civic Self-Defence Committee of the Workers' Defence Committee and, jointly with his wife Zofia, directed an intervention unit that provided legal and material assistance to victims of oppression. In late 1979 early 1980, organized the Helsinki Committee - an organization created to supervise the implementation of CSCE resolutions. Was the editor of its Madrid Report on the status of human rights in the People's Republic of Poland. Headed the Solidarity Intervention and the Rule of Law Committee, was elected to the Presidium of the Board of Solidarity Mazowsze Region and then to Solidarity National Committee. Co-founder of the underground Solidarity Radio. Jailed from 1982 to 1984, indicted in the trials of the founders of Solidarity Radio and Workers' Defence Committee.

Co-organizer of International Human Rights Conferences: Krakow 1988, Leningrad 1990, Warsaw 1998. Chairman of the Human Rights and the Rule of Law Committee in the First, Second and Fourth Term Senate. Since 1989, was a member of the following Senate committees: Rules and Senatorial Affairs Committee, National Defence Committee, Special Committee on Mining, Special Committee on European Integration, National Economy Committee, Special Committee on the Legislative Initiative to Amend the Polish Citizenship Law, Foreign Affairs and European Integration Committee, Rules, Ethics and Senate Affairs Committee, and Legislation and the Rule of Law Committee.

No political-party affiliation.

Married, has one child.