Nikitin Alexander Konstantinovich

In 1995, he wrote a chapter for the organization's annual report on the disposal of radioactive waste from nuclear submarine fuel in the Russian Northern Fleet. In preparing this chapter, Nikitin used information published in the open press. Nevertheless, on February 6, 1996, Nikitin was arrested by officers of the St. Petersburg FSB. He was charged with high treason in the form of espionage and disclosure of state secrets (Articles 275 and 283 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation). The materials of the accusation were built on secret orders of the Minister of Defense, issued after Nikitin was taken into custody and a criminal case was initiated against him. The mildest sentence that threatened Nikitin under these articles was 12 years in prison. He spent more than 10 months in the FSB detention center and was released on bail in December 1996. The investigation and trials in his case continued until the end of 1999. Over the years, he has received seven international awards. Amnesty International declared Nikitin a prisoner of conscience. On December 29, 1999, the city court of St. Petersburg found him not guilty on all charges. The prosecutor's office appealed the verdict to the Supreme Court. On September 13, 2000, the Judicial Collegium of the Supreme Court, by its non-appealable decision, upheld the acquittal.