(IPI/IFEX) – IPI is most concerned about the forthcoming case of Grigori Pasko, who has been imprisoned since November 1997 in Vladivostok. IPI reported on 13 October 1998 that he was to go on trial on charges of treason on 14 October. **Updates IFEX alerts of 21 May and 11 May 1998** The charges against […]
(IPI/IFEX) – IPI is most concerned about the forthcoming case of Grigori
Pasko, who has been imprisoned since November 1997 in Vladivostok. IPI
reported on 13 October 1998 that he was to go on trial on charges of treason
on 14 October.
**Updates IFEX alerts of 21 May and 11 May 1998**
The charges against Pasko – a naval captain and correspondent for the
newspaper of the Russian Pacific Fleet, “Boyevaya Vakhta”, who also worked
for the Japan Broadcasting Corporation (NHK) and the Japanese national daily
“Asahi Shimbun” – are based on his publications in the Russian and Japanese
media over a three-year period. These publications described the problem of
nuclear waste caused by the deterioration of the condition of the Russian
nuclear submarine fleet in the Far East, as well as other
radioactive nuclear waste disposal problems that have created a major
environmental danger.
Pasko was arrested on 20 November 1997 at Vladivostok airport upon his
return from a business trip to Japan. All his materials were confiscated,
meetings with his wife were prohibited, and he was denied an independent
expert assessment. The authorities admit that none of the facts he published
revealed state secrets or endangered national security. Moreover, all
Pasko’s contacts with the Japanese media were sanctioned or coordinated
with the leadership of the Pacific Fleet, and all material published in the
Fleet’s newspaper were passed by the military censor. Nevertheless, the
authorities argue that the net effect of his publications resulted in
revealing a pattern whose exposure constitutes a challenge to Russian state
security.
Recommended Action
Send appeals to the Prime Minister:
journalist should do — that is, exposing threats to the public interest
Pasko, whose case is to be considered in camera by a military court attached
to the Pacific Fleet
Pasko are dropped without condition and that he is released immediately
Appeals To
H.E. Yevgeni M. Primakov
Prime Minister of the Russian Federation
Moscow, Russia
Fax: +7095 205 5134
