To All Living Things
Last Week's Column

Amnesty Action:
Charged with Treason for Exposing Nuclear Accidents in Russia

by Kathy Gay

his week’s action from Amnesty International is a case from Amnesty’s current campaign, "Defending the Defenders of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights." It concerns a retired naval captain in Russia who has been charged with treason for publicizing the environmental consequences of Russian nuclear submarine accidents. If convicted, he faces up to 20 years in prison. He is 45 years old and has a wife and daughter.

Amnesty International is concerned that the Russian authorities are more interested in putting this man in prison than in establishing the truth through a fair process of judicial determination. All of the evidence against this man indicates that his "crime" was nothing more than exercising his right to freedom of expression as guaranteed by Article 19 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

Not only have the authorities made unsubstantiated allegations against him in the course of their investigation and in statements to the press, they also have tried to prevent him from preparing an adequate defense. These actions violate Articles 10 and 11 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which guarantee the right to a fair trial.

Amnesty International believes this man committed no criminal offense and is urging the Russian Federation to drop all criminal charges against him. The organization is concerned that if he is convicted of the charges against him, more arbitrary prosecutions of innocent people could follow.

Background Information

The former naval officer profiled here joined the Russian navy in 1974 as an engineer on nuclear submarines. Later he worked at the Ministry of Defense, first as a senior inspector and then as a director at the Safety Inspectorate for Nuclear Installations. In 1994, two years after retiring from the navy, he was hired by a Norwegian environmental organization to research and co-write a section of a report concerning sources of radioactive contamination in the Russian navy.

Although both he and the organization responsible for the report have consistently maintained that the information they used came from previously published sources, in February 1996 he was accused of espionage, arrested by Russian security authorities, and charged with treason. In December 1996 he was released pending trial, but in September 1997 he was presented with a new indictment, the fifth since his arrest. The charges continue to be based on an unpublished, secret decree which was issued in September 1996, seven months after his arrest. He could now face a 20-year prison sentence – on grounds of which he is not fully aware – simply because he publicized known information about the environment.

How you can help

Please send a letter to the President of the Russian Federation as soon as possible, but no later than May 20, 1998. You may use the sample letter linked below or use it as a model to write your own letter. If you choose to use the sample letter, please cut off or delete all website information at the very top of the letter. If you prefer to write your own letter, please keep in mind that its intent is to improve the human rights situation in Russia. Make sure the letter is politely worded, non-partisan (i.e., not used as a vehicle for political expression) and written with respect for the recipient. Be sure to include both your name and address, as well as the date, on your letter.

U.S. airmail postage to Russia is 60 cents.

Questions?

If you have any questions, just post a message to me (Kathy SF) in the Pub, and I will respond as soon as I can. I greatly appreciate your interest and support.

To see the sample letter for this action, please click here.

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Kathy Gay is a vegan, and has been a member of Amnesty International since 1987, where she has worked on numerous campaigns. She lives in the San Francisco Bay Area and is a business analyst for a leading California bank.

Kathy's column, To All Living Things, is a regular feature of VegSource On-Line Magazine.