untitled design

The Russian scientist accused of high treason is dead

A Russian scientist who was arrested in Siberia last week on suspicion of high treason and flown to Moscow despite suffering from advanced pancreatic cancer has died, his lawyer told Reuters on Sunday.

The scientist, Dmitry Kolker, had been transferred to Moscow’s Lefortovo prison, lawyer Alexander Fedulov said. “He died yesterday. Tomorrow we will file a complaint for his detention,” he said.

Kolker’s family said last week that he was taken from a hospital in the Siberian city of Novosibirsk, where he was being fed through a tube, and put on a flight to Moscow by FSB security service officers.

Kolker was a doctor of physics and mathematics. His family said he had been accused of collaborating with security services in China, where he had previously given scientific lectures. They protested his innocence.

On Saturday, the state-run TASS news agency reported that Russia had arrested a second scientist in Novosibirsk on suspicion of high treason. It was not clear if the two cases are connected.

Many Russian scientists have been arrested and charged with treason in recent years for allegedly giving sensitive material to foreign countries. Kremlin critics say the arrests often stem from unfounded paranoia. High treason is punishable by up to 20 years in prison.

Source: Capital

You may also like

Get the latest

Stay Informed: Get the Latest Updates and Insights

 

Most popular