AAAS Scientific Responsibility, Human Rights and Law Program

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AAAS Human Rights Action Network

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FACTS OF THE CASE:

On 26 February 2001, the Kaluga regional court will resume closed-door hearings of the case against Dr. Igor Sutyagin, 35, chief of the section on military technology research at the Institute of USA and Canada Studies. The Federal Security Service (FSB), successor to the Soviet-era KGB, detained Dr. Sutyagin in October 1999 and charged him with espionage and high treason. His trial has been postponed twice, once on 26 December 2000, and again on 9 January 2001, to give the defense lawyers more time to study the charges.

Dr. Sutyagin worked as a senior staff researcher at the Institute of USA and Canada Studies, a respected Moscow think tank. The Institute was conducting a research project about military-civilian relations in post-Communist countries. Dr. Suytagin was hired to interview military and civilian officials in Russia. His interviews focused on the political attitudes of military leaders about the civilian role in the management of the military. The questions used during the interviews were drafted in advance and were used in all 12 countries studied. Researchers encountered no similar charges in any of the other countries.

As a civilian researcher with no military clearances, Dr. Sutyagin did not have access to any classified materials. He conducted his scientific research using only open source material. In the October 1999 search of his home and office, no classified military information was found. The FSB conducted a year-long investigation, which also failed to provide any evidence of his wrongdoing. Despite the lack of evidence, the FSB has openly referred to Dr. Sutyagin's case as "academic work espionage."

There is great concern that the trial will not meet international standards for fairness. The FSB has declared that the entire proceedings are classified and therefore the trial will be held behind closed doors. Some international observers believe that the FSB wants to hold the trial behind closed doors because of a lack of evidence, rather than for security reasons.

The FSB has held Dr. Igor Sutyagin in the Kaluga jail since his arrest in October 1999. Prison conditions are harsh. Sutyagin has been held in a cell that was designed to hold eight people, but now holds twenty-eight. Sutyagin has a heart condition, and his health has been deteriorating. He is able to see his wife Irina only twice a month.

(Sources of information for this case include: http://www.case52.org and the Washington Post)

RELEVANT HUMAN RIGHTS STANDARDS

International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights

• Article 9(2): Anyone who is arrested shall be informed, at the time of arrest, of the reasons for his [or her] arrest and shall be promptly informed of any charges against him [or her].
• Article 10: All persons deprived of their liberty shall be treated with humanity and with respect for the inherent dignity of the human person.
• Article 14(1): All persons shall be equal before the courts and tribunals. In the determination of any criminal charge against him [or her], or of his [or her] rights and obligations in a suit at law, everyone shall be entitled to a fair and public hearing by a competent, independent and impartial tribunal established by law.
• Article 19(1): Everyone shall have the right to hold opinions without interference.

International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights

• Article 12: (1): The States Parties to the present Covenant recognize the right of everyone to the enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of physical and mental health. (2): The steps to be taken by the States Parties to the present Covenant to achieve the full realization of this right shall include those necessary for: (c) The prevention, treatment and control of epidemic, endemic, occupational and other diseases; (d) The creation of conditions which would assure to all medical service and medical attention in the event of sickness.

UN Standard Minimum Rules for the Treatment of Prisoners

• Article 8(b): Untried prisoners shall be kept separate from convicted prisoners.
• Article 9(1): Where sleeping accommodation is in individual cells or rooms, each prisoner shall occupy by night a cell or room by himself. If for special reasons, such as temporary overcrowding, it becomes necessary for the central prison administration to make an exception to this rule, it is not desirable to have two prisoners in a cell or room.
• Article 10: All accommodation provided for the use of prisoners and in particular all sleeping accommodation shall meet all requirements of health, due regard being paid to climatic conditions and particularly to cubic content of air, minimum floor space, lighting, heating and ventilation.
• Article 22(2): Sick prisoners who require specialist treatment shall be transferred to specialized institutions or to civil hospitals. Where hospital facilities are provided in an institution, their equipment, furnishings and pharmaceutical supplies shall be proper for the medical care and treatment of sick prisoners, and there shall be a staff of suitable trained officers.

Universal Declaration of Human Rights

• Article 09: No one shall be subjected to arbitrary arrest, detention or exile.

RECOMMENDED ACTION:

Please send telegrams, faxes, airmail letters or emails:

• Expressing concern that there appears to be a lack of evidence to support the charges of treason or espionage against Dr. Igor Sutyagin;
• Requesting a fair and open trial for Dr. Igor Sutyagin;
• Expressing concern that charges against Dr. Igor Sutyagin appear to stem solely from the legitimate scientific work that he was conducting for the Institute of USA and Canada Studies.

APPEAL AND INQUIRY MESSAGES SHOULD BE SENT TO:

Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin
President of Russia
The Kremlin
Moscow
Russia
Fax: 011 7 095 206 5173 or 011 7 095 206 6277

COPIES SENT TO:

Yuri V. Ushakov
Ambassador of the Russian Federation to the United States
2650 Wisconsin Avenue, NW
Washington, DC 20007
fax: (202) 298-5737


Vladimir V. Ustinov
Prosecutor General
Prosecutor General Office
15a Bolshaya Dmitrovka Street
Moscow, Russia 103793
Fax: +7 (095) 921-4186

Please send copies of your appeals, and any responses you may receive, or direct any questions you may have to Victoria Baxter, AAAS Science and Human Rights Program, 1200 New York Ave, NW, Washington, DC 20005; tel. 202-326-6796; email vbaxter@aaas.org; or fax 202-289-4950.

The keys to effective appeals re to be courteous and respectful, accurate and precise, impartial in approach, and as specific as possible regarding the alleged violation and the international human rights standards and instruments that apply to the situation. Reference to your scientific organization and professional affiliation is always helpful.

To ensure that appeals are current and credible, please do not continue to write appeals on this case after 90 days from the date of the posting unless an update has been issued.

To verify the contents of this alert and/or the electronic signature, please download the signed file for this alert along with the Program's PGP Public Key.

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