Alexander Nikitin
Encyclopedia
Aleksander Nikitin, a Russia
n former submarine
officer and nuclear safety
inspector turned environmentalist, started to co-operate with Norwegian
environmental Bellona Foundation
in 1994. He was arrested in February 1996 by Russian FSB
and charged with treason
through espionage
for his contributions to a Bellona report on the nuclear safety within the Russian Northern Fleet. After having spent 10 months in pre-trial detention in Saint Petersburg
he was released on the order of Mikhail Katushev, the then deputy Russian Prosecutor General, in December 1996.
The charges were however, not dropped. Nikitin first stood trial in October 1998, when the St. Petersburg City Court rejected the evidence against him. But rather than acquitting him, the Court sent the case back to the FSB for additional investigation. The Supreme Court confirmed this decision in February 1999, and the FSB filed new charges in July 1999.
The second trial started at the St. Petersburg City Court in November 1999, and ended on December 29 with a full acquittal. The prosecution appealed to the Supreme Court, but the acquittal was confirmed and reached legal force on April 17, 2000.
The Prosecution was, however, not willing to call it a day. On May 30, 2000 the Prosecutor General requested the governing body of the Russian Supreme Court, the Presidium, to re-open the case. The basis for the request was that “Nikitin's rights had been violated throughout the proceedings against him, and that these violations had to be repaired” (sic). The Presidium rejected the request on September 13, 2000.
Aleksandr Nikitin is still engaged in environmental and human rights
issues in Russia. He is the head of Bellona Foundation
’s St. Petersburg branch, and is engaged in environmental and nuclear safety projects, as well as in human rights cases. In 1997, Nikitin was awarded the Goldman Environmental Prize
, but as a result of treason charges against him, he was prevented from attending the Prize ceremony.
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
n former submarine
Submarine
A submarine is a watercraft capable of independent operation below the surface of the water. It differs from a submersible, which has more limited underwater capability...
officer and nuclear safety
Nuclear safety
Nuclear safety covers the actions taken to prevent nuclear and radiation accidents or to limit their consequences. This covers nuclear power plants as well as all other nuclear facilities, the transportation of nuclear materials, and the use and storage of nuclear materials for medical, power,...
inspector turned environmentalist, started to co-operate with Norwegian
Norway
Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
environmental Bellona Foundation
Bellona Foundation
The Bellona Foundation is a multi-disciplinary international environmental NGO based in Oslo, Norway. Founded in 1986 by Frederic Hauge and Rune Haaland as a direct action protest group, it has since blossomed into a recognized technology and solution-oriented environmental champion with offices on...
in 1994. He was arrested in February 1996 by Russian FSB
FSB (Russia)
The Federal Security Service of the Russian Federation is the main domestic security agency of the Russian Federation and the main successor agency of the Soviet Committee of State Security . Its main responsibilities are counter-intelligence, internal and border security, counter-terrorism, and...
and charged with treason
Treason
In law, treason is the crime that covers some of the more extreme acts against one's sovereign or nation. Historically, treason also covered the murder of specific social superiors, such as the murder of a husband by his wife. Treason against the king was known as high treason and treason against a...
through espionage
Espionage
Espionage or spying involves an individual obtaining information that is considered secret or confidential without the permission of the holder of the information. Espionage is inherently clandestine, lest the legitimate holder of the information change plans or take other countermeasures once it...
for his contributions to a Bellona report on the nuclear safety within the Russian Northern Fleet. After having spent 10 months in pre-trial detention in Saint Petersburg
Saint Petersburg
Saint Petersburg is a city and a federal subject of Russia located on the Neva River at the head of the Gulf of Finland on the Baltic Sea...
he was released on the order of Mikhail Katushev, the then deputy Russian Prosecutor General, in December 1996.
The charges were however, not dropped. Nikitin first stood trial in October 1998, when the St. Petersburg City Court rejected the evidence against him. But rather than acquitting him, the Court sent the case back to the FSB for additional investigation. The Supreme Court confirmed this decision in February 1999, and the FSB filed new charges in July 1999.
The second trial started at the St. Petersburg City Court in November 1999, and ended on December 29 with a full acquittal. The prosecution appealed to the Supreme Court, but the acquittal was confirmed and reached legal force on April 17, 2000.
The Prosecution was, however, not willing to call it a day. On May 30, 2000 the Prosecutor General requested the governing body of the Russian Supreme Court, the Presidium, to re-open the case. The basis for the request was that “Nikitin's rights had been violated throughout the proceedings against him, and that these violations had to be repaired” (sic). The Presidium rejected the request on September 13, 2000.
Aleksandr Nikitin is still engaged in environmental and human rights
Human rights
Human rights are "commonly understood as inalienable fundamental rights to which a person is inherently entitled simply because she or he is a human being." Human rights are thus conceived as universal and egalitarian . These rights may exist as natural rights or as legal rights, in both national...
issues in Russia. He is the head of Bellona Foundation
Bellona Foundation
The Bellona Foundation is a multi-disciplinary international environmental NGO based in Oslo, Norway. Founded in 1986 by Frederic Hauge and Rune Haaland as a direct action protest group, it has since blossomed into a recognized technology and solution-oriented environmental champion with offices on...
’s St. Petersburg branch, and is engaged in environmental and nuclear safety projects, as well as in human rights cases. In 1997, Nikitin was awarded the Goldman Environmental Prize
Goldman Environmental Prize
The Goldman Environmental Prize is a prize awarded annually to grassroots environmental activists, one from each of the world's six geographic regions: Africa, Asia, Europe, Islands and Island Nations, North America, and South and Central America. The prize includes a no-strings-attached award of...
, but as a result of treason charges against him, he was prevented from attending the Prize ceremony.