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Letter of Appeal from the AAAS Committee on Scientific Freedom and Responsibility

3 December 1999

The Honorable Albert Gore, Jr.
Office of the Vice President
The White House
1600 Pennsylvania Avenue
Washington, DC 20501

Dear Mr. Vice President:

I am writing to you on behalf of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) Committee on Scientific Freedom and Responsibility, formed in 1976 to protect the human rights of scientists and to deal with issues relating to scientific freedom worldwide. In view of your upcoming meeting with Ukrainian President Leonid Kuchma and recognizing the importance that you place on science, as stressed in your eloquent address at the AAAS 1999 Annual Meeting in Anaheim, CA, the Committee kindly requests your intercession in the recent actions taken by Ukrainian authorities against its scientists.

The Committee is deeply concerned about the persecution of world-renowned marine biologist Dr. Sergey Piontkovski of the Institute of Biology of the Southern Seas (IBSS) in Sevastopol, by the Ukrainian Intelligence Security Service (SBU), which began on 17 October 1999. He was formally charged with leading a criminal group and being involved in illegal hard currency transactions on 17 November. We are troubled by reports indicating that the SBU has extended the investigation against Dr. Piontkovski to his former wife, Galina Piontkovskaya, also a scientist at IBSS, and IBSS deputy director Yuri Tokarev. We have also learned that security agents reportedly raided the homes and offices of the three researchers, confiscating computers, scientific papers, money, and passports.

Galina Piontkovskaya also faces official charges of membership in a criminal group and participating in criminal currency transactions. Mrs. Piontkovskaya was in charge of salary payments to project participants and digitization of plankton data. She is suffering ill health and reportedly lost consciousness during her interrogation in the SBU Office. Her doctors have ordered her to stay at home. The SBU has informed her that the interrogation is not over, only put on hold.

Dr. Yuri Tokarev was accused of passing Soviet-era data to the West. He has been "invited to talk" with the SBU nearly every day. The questions he is asked are about Dr. Piontkovski's case.

After a week of "talks" at the SBU, another scientist, Boris Sokolov, a leading engineer involved in projects with Dr. Piontkovski, was admitted to the hospital because of a worsening heart condition. Mr. Sokolov has suffered a heart attack in the past. At least ten new witnesses (IBSS and MHI scientists) have been "invited to talk" at the SBU's office about Dr. Piontkovski's case.

AAAS has received letters from some of the scientists' Western collaborators who are deeply concerned about the investigation. They have informed us that the data for the projects cited by the SBU were not classified in any way. They are also troubled that the investigation has been extended to scientists at the Marine Hydrophysical Institute in Sevastopol.

In a likely response to this international attention, the SBU has not pursued allegations related to the criminal transfer of scientific information abroad. This accusation did not appear in the formal criminal arraignment. Nevertheless, the SBU has initiated a wave of accusations in the media accusing international foundations and respected institutes abroad with attempting to pay Dr. Piontkovski for the transfer of national treasures (oceanographic data). Such actions cause great concern about the future involvement of Ukraine in international scientific programs.

We would very much appreciate it if you would kindly point out to President Kuchma that the persecution of Sergey Piontkovski and the investigations against him, Galina Piontkovskaya, and Yuri Tokarev constitute serious interference with international scientific freedom and could seriously jeopardize scientific collaborations. It appears to be based solely on scientific collaborations that they have undertaken with international partners and grants they have received from international funding organizations to undertake such projects.

These actions are also contrary to human rights provisions enumerated in the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights to which Ukraine is legally bound as a State Party. They include: freedom from arbitrary arrest, detention, or exile; the right to freedom of opinion and expression; the right to enjoy the benefits of scientific progress and its applications, respect for the freedom indispensable for scientific research and creative activity; and the encouragement and development of international contacts and co-operation in the scientific and cultural fields.

We urge you to inform President Kuchma about the significance of this case and to use your good offices to request that the investigations against Sergey Piontkovski, Galina Piontkovskaya, and Yuri Tokarev be dropped immediately and unconditionally. We respectfully request that you ask President Kuchma to see to it that the SBU returns the computers, documents, money, and passports confiscated from the homes and offices of the three scientists so that they can continue their work. We also request that you seek assistance from President Kuchma to assure that scientific collaborations with international partners will be allowed to proceed.

Thank you for your attention to our concerns.

Sincerely,



Audrey R. Chapman, Ph.D.
Director
AAAS Science and Human Rights Program

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