The European Court of Human Rights said Tuesday that Russian authorities denied a top physicist a fair trial ahead of his 2004 conviction on claims of passing state secrets to China, which saw him imprisoned in Siberia for eight years.
Accused of spying for China as well as embezzlement, Valentin Danilov was arrested in 2001, shortly after former KGB agent Vladimir Putin ascended to the presidency for the first time.
The case revived fears of the Soviet-era terror and the authorities' paranoid hunts for traitors among academics and others with potential links to foreigners.
At the time, Danilov was director of the thermo-physics center at Krasnoyarsk State University, and claimed his shared work with a Chinese engineering firm did not involve any classified information.
Despite being initially cleared of the charges by a jury, Russia's Supreme Court rejected the verdict and another court later sentenced Danilov to 13 years in prison.
Danilov, now 72, vowed to clear his name when he was released early in 2012.
In his appeal to the European court based in Strasbourg, he said he was not allowed to cross-examine experts whose testimony helped secure his conviction, nor to present his own experts for his defense.
He also claimed potential bias on the jury, since four of the 12 members had state security clearance.
The ECHR sided with Danilov on both claims, saying the Russian court "had infringed his fair-trial rights."
Russia was ordered to pay Danilov 21,100 euros ($25,200) in damages.
A Message from The Moscow Times:
Dear readers,
We are facing unprecedented challenges. Russia's Prosecutor General's Office has designated The Moscow Times as an "undesirable" organization, criminalizing our work and putting our staff at risk of prosecution. This follows our earlier unjust labeling as a "foreign agent."
These actions are direct attempts to silence independent journalism in Russia. The authorities claim our work "discredits the decisions of the Russian leadership." We see things differently: we strive to provide accurate, unbiased reporting on Russia.
We, the journalists of The Moscow Times, refuse to be silenced. But to continue our work, we need your help.
Your support, no matter how small, makes a world of difference. If you can, please support us monthly starting from just $2. It's quick to set up, and every contribution makes a significant impact.
By supporting The Moscow Times, you're defending open, independent journalism in the face of repression. Thank you for standing with us.
Remind me later.
