AAAS Scientific Responsibility, Human Rights and Law Program

View Alerts By > Case | Date | Country | Victim

AAAS Human Rights Action Network

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

7 January 2002


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


Dear Mr. President:

The American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) is the largest organization of natural and social scientists in the United States and the world's largest federation of scientific organizations, with 145,000 individual members and 300 affiliated groups. AAAS publishes the preeminent scientific journal Science. The association is concerned about the role of science in the world, including the rights and responsibilities of scientists. Our AAAS Committee on Scientific Freedom and Responsibility was formed in 1976 to protect the human rights of scientists, engineers, and health professionals and to deal with issues relating to scientific freedom worldwide.

I am writing to express my concern about the case of Dr. Igor Sutyagin. The AAAS Committee on Scientific Freedom and Responsibility has been actively following this case. There appears to be a lack of evidence to support the charges of treason and espionage against Dr. Igor Sutyagin, and as such, I fear that Dr. Sutyagin is being prosecuted for conducting legitimate academic research. According to all reports, Dr. Sutyagin as a civilian researcher without a security clearance used only unclassified materials, such as newspaper articles, to conduct his research. The FSB searches of Dr. Sutyagin's office and home have failed to produce any evidence that Dr. Sutyagin ever had access to classified materials.

I am particularly troubled to learn that the Kaluga regional court is ordering a second investigation of Dr. Sutyagin. A second investigation seems unwarranted given the lack of evidence found in the initial investigation to support the charges. Furthermore, the same court found that the FSB committed "substantial violations of legal procedure," which deprived Dr. Sutyagin of his "constitutional right to defend himself." I remain unconvinced that Dr. Sutyagin's rights would be protected in a second investigation or trial.

Prosecuting an individual solely for the peaceful exercise of his or her right to freedom of expression is in direct violation of several human rights standards that the Russian Federation is obligated under international law to uphold. These rights are enumerated in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (adopted without opposition by the United Nations General Assembly on 10 December 1948) and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (the Russian Federation is a state party). Specific provisions include the following:

Universal Declaration of Human Rights
· Article 9: No one shall be subjected to arbitrary arrest, detention or exile.
· Article 10: Everyone is entitled in full equality to a fair and public hearing by an independent and impartial tribunal, in the determination of his [or her] rights and obligations and of any criminal charge against him [or her].
· Article 19: Everyone has the right to freedom of opinion and expression; this right includes freedom to hold opinions without interference and to seek, receive and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers.

International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights
· 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: Everyone shall have the right to freedom of expression; this right shall include freedom to seek, receive and impart information and ideas of all kinds, regardless of frontiers, either orally, in writing or in print, in the form of art, or through any other media of his [or her] choice.

I respectfully request that that the government use its good offices to ensure that if there is no evidence to support the charges against Dr. Sutyagin that all charges against him be dropped and that he be immediately and unconditionally released. Should a second investigation be ordered, I further request that Dr. Sutyagin be released from pretrial detention as he has already spent more than 2 years in prison awaiting the completion of the first investigation and trial.


Sincerely,

Carole Nagengast, Ph.D., Chair
Committee on Scientific Freedom
and Responsibility

Main | CSFR Letters | Science and Human Rights Program