Defense Lawyer Flees Charges in Russia

International Law

Posted Jul 18, 2007, 01:43 pm CDT
By Debra Cassens Weiss

A prominent defense lawyer has fled Russia, saying he did so to avoid a prosecution motivated by his exposure of law enforcement abuses.

Boris Kuznetsov fled after prosecutors opened a criminal case based on allegations he exposed state secrets. He spoke to Reuters from Europe, but refused to name his exact location.

Kuznetsov’s clients have included a Russian scientist, a former oil billionaire, the family of a murdered journalist, and relatives of sailors who died on a nuclear submarine.

In his most recent case defending a former federation council senator, he introduced evidence that the politician’s phone had been bugged. Prosecutors claim the revelation violated the law against exposure of state secrets.

"Lawyers are the last bastion before Russian lawlessness,” he told the wire service. "Those lawyers who are not silent, those lawyers who refuse to submit, those lawyers who have a humanitarian position, those lawyers who defend people are made to feel uncomfortable."

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