Of course, those in power in the U.S. couldn’t ignore such statements. Additionally, Gale Colby and Irene Goldman continued to actively inform the American public, the scientific societies, and senators and congressmen about my case. On the evening of the day that the trial process started, Gale called me and asked whether she should come to Moscow and try to do something for my defense. I replied that she would be more effective and helpful by staying in the U.S., and I asked her not to come. She agreed with my arguments, and Gale’s and Irene’s work helped accelerate the activities of scientific and other organizations working to support me. Almost every day before the trial, which was scheduled for January 24th, I received new statements in my defense by fax.
Prior to January 6, 1994, some people doubted that a closed trial process was possible at all. However, the press clearly saw after the first session, that the old system was very much alive, and it fully intended to ignore the protests against the closed hearing. This put a lot of people strongly on their guard, both in Russia and abroad, because they felt that the events were unfolding in the same sad and familiar ways as they had in Soviet times. Letters addressed to the Russian powers-that-be show this.[288]-296
A letter was sent on January 13, 1994, from the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) To the Attorney General of Russia, Aleksei Kazannik288 which insisted that foreign observers be allowed to witness the trial and stressed that “the Mirzayanov prosecution and secret trial is an unfortunate and very surprising throwback to past practices under the totalitarian regime.” The Federation of American Scientists (FAS) in its letter emphasized that my case had become a famous one now in the American scientific community, and had been discussed at the highest levels of our two Governments. The FAS asked Attorney General Aleksei Kazannik to ensure that I received a fair trial and expressed hope that the case could be resolved in a respectful way.[289]
The National Academy of Sciences of the U.S. sent a letter to President Boris Yeltsin on January 19, 1994 asking the Russian Government to drop the charges against me “because they are in clear violation of the Russian Constitution.”[290] “If the charge is not dropped”, they wrote “we would expect the Russian government to grant Dr. Mirzayanov a fair trial, and we would appeal that it be open in accordance with the U.N. Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Dr. Mirzayanov acted on the dictates of his conscience and, if accorded due process, he would be exonerated on the grounds that he exercised his right to the free speech and did not reveal information that was, at the time, officially recognized as a state secret.”
The New York Academy of Sciences in its statement on January 20, 1994 said that it “has received notification that Dr. Vil Mirzayanov will be brought to trial for actions protected under international agreements and required under ethical standards of scientific responsibility. We ask that charges against Dr. Mirzayanov be dropped and that international observers be permitted to attend the trial on January 24, 1994.”[291]
The influential Committee of Concerned Scientists appealed to Attorney General Aleksei Kazannik once more on January 19, 1994and asked him to avert a closed trial. “If this trial takes place in camera, it will suggest that Russia has indeed created a new group of binary chemical weapons. We therefore urge in the strongest possible terms to stop this prosecution lest it cast a pall on your country’s declared intent to join with other nations in banning the development of chemical weaponry.”[292]
I’m very proud that Roald Sagdeev, the famous scientist, physicist and deputy of the USSR Congress of People’s Deputies, who together with Andrei Sakharov and Boris Yeltsin took part in organization of the first opposition bloc of deputies in the history of the USSR, sent an appeal to Attorney General Aleksei Kazannik. He wrote: “If we were able to defeat the Cold War and start the complete destruction of chemical weapons what kind of secrets should be hidden from the world public? … It is not so much guilt, but the tragedy of a whole generation of scientists and engineers forced to spend their talents in making the weapons of mass destruction. The voice of Mirzayanov – the voice of the conscience of a whole generation – must be heard and not strangled.”[293]
The Lawyers Committee for Human Rights of the U.S. sent a letter to the President of Russia[294] in which they said that “Mr. Mirzayanov’s case is an important test of the Russian government’s commitment to respect human rights and build just legal institutions. We urge you to ensure that the courts act as a truly independent branch of government, according to the rule of law and free from government pressure.”
The authors of the appeals were well informed about the legal details and meanings of the resolutions of the Russian government, concerning the lists of state secrecy. Gale and Irene helped a lot in this respect, by distributing excerpts from my case materials to many individuals and organizations who could be advocates for me. Individuals who were working on the scientific freedom and responsibility committees of different scientific societies were for the most part unremitting in their support, sending out frequent updates to their vast membership by e-mail. On January 21, 1994, the American organization “Physicians for Social Responsibility” addressed an appeal to Attorney General Kazannik, which was signed by Dan Ellsberg.[295]
A no less legendary man who is rightfully called the “Chinese Sakharov,” the famous scientist Fang Lizhi, signed a letter addressed to the President of Russia on behalf of the Committee on the International Freedom of Scientists of the American Physical Society on January 24, 1994.[296] This courageous scientist was one of the leaders of the democratic movement in China and took part in the well-known events in Tiananmen Square in 1989. The Chinese military were going to arrest him for this, but the U.S. Embassy in Beijing saved him, giving the scientist sanctuary in its building. For several years the Chinese authorities prevented Fang Lizhi from leaving the country. However, under pressure from the international community they had to yield and let him emigrate to the U.S. A short review of protests of the American scientific community is given by Chemical and Engineering News.[297]
The time remaining before the beginning of the next court session flew by like a shot. Every day there were a few telephone calls requesting me to give interviews, to speak on the radio, or just to comment on the forthcoming trial.
I don’t remember turning down any of these requests. Despite great nervous tension, I met with the journalists and these meetings helped me to focus and better articulate my ideas about banning chemical weapons, and to identify what I saw as potential attempts to circumvent the Chemical Weapons Convention.
288
Letter of the American Association for the Advancement of Science to the Attorney General of Russia, Aleksei Kazannik. January 13, 1994.
289
Letter of the Federation of American Scientists to the Attorney General of Russia, Aleksei Kazannik, January 14, 1994.
290
Letter of the U.S. National Academy of Science to President Yeltsin, January 24, 1994.
291
Letter of the President of New York Academy of Science Joshua Lederberg to the Attorney General of the Russian Federation Alexei Kazannik, January 20, 1994.
292
Letter of the Committee of Concerned Scientists to the Attorney General Aleksei Kazannik, January 19, 1994.
293
Roald Sagdeev, “This Trial can Cause Damage to our Fatherland,”
294
Letter of the Lawyers Committee for Human Rights (of the U.S.) to the President of Russia.
295
Letter of the, the American organization “Physicians for Social Responsibility” to Attorney General Kazannik, January 21, 1994.
296
Letter of the Committee on the International Freedom of Scientists (CIFS) at the American Physical Society to President Yeltsin.
297
“U.S. Scientists Protest Russian Chemist’s Trial”,