Evgeny Vasilyevich Afanasyev (1952-2014) and Svyatoslav Bobyshev (b.1953) were professors at the Baltic State Technical University. In 2012, after two years of detention,[1] the two were convicted of treason tied to alleged sale of Russian missile information to a Chinese spy. Russian Federation Courts sentenced Afanasyev to Шаблон:Frac years in a prison camp, and Bobyshev to 12. Afanasyev died in prison. Russia's Memorial Human Rights Center identified the scientists as political prisoners, and determined that their detention was a violation of international human rights agreements.[1]
Detainment and trial
Файл:Voenmeh.jpgBaltic State Technical University in St. Petersburg, Russia.
The charge alleged that the pair sold classified information about technology that could detect Russia's Bulava-class submarine-launched missiles.[2] The court alleged that the two had sold the information to a Chinese spy in 2009.[3][4] The Russian charges were tied to an agreement between the professors' university, Baltic State Technical University in St. Petersburg, and Harbin Engineering University in China.[5] The chairman of Afanasyev's department said the lectures did not include any specifications about the missiles.[5]
After two years of detainment at Moscow’s Lefortovo maximum-security prison,[3] the Russian state convicted the pair for "High Treason.".[1]
Designation as political prisoners
Russian officials have stated that there is no state process for convicting a person for a political crime.[6][7] The Moscow Helsinki Group, the oldest human rights organization in Russia, argue that while there are no laws against political crimes, there have been cases of politically motivated charges.[8] Advocates for the pair include the Committee of Concerned Scientists,[3] the Memorial Human Rights Center,[1] and Scholars at Risk.[5]
