| The case of the YUKOS company security officer Alexei
Puchugin has attracted the attention of the press. In particular, according
to Pichugin's barristers, journalists write that some unknown officers
from the Federal Security Service injected into Pichugin psychotropic agents.
Deputy of the State Duma, member of the YABLOKO faction Alexei
Melnikov is conducting his own investigation into this loud case.
"I got involved into this case as a defender of human rights",
says Melnikov. "But when information appeared in the press that psychotropic
agents had been administered to Pichugin, I began insisting on an investigation.
If we don't succeed here now, then the forces that are emerging in the
law and enforcement agencies will decide that they can do anything. My
task is to open the curtain and demonstrate to society what is going on
behind its back. Very strange things are happening there. For example,
I forwarded a [deputy's] inquiry to Director of the Federal Security Service
Nikolai Patrushev, but his deputy Komogorov answered instead. However,
in accordance with the Law "On the Status of a Federation Council
Member and Deputy of the State Duma" the individual mentioned as
the addressee of the inquiry should answer. Moreover in my inquiry I asked
[Patrushev] to check the possible administration of psychotropic agents
to Pichugin. The answer does not expand on the essence of the check-up,
however, Mr. Komogorov writes to me that "some deterioration in Pichugin's
health may be attributable to psychological and emotional tension, as
well as a number of his illnesses."
It became known that the Federal Security Service administered psychotropic
agents to Pichugin on July 14, and on July 17 an inquiry from me and four
other deputies [of the Duma] was sent to the Federal Security Service.
We posed specific questions.
The preliminary detention prison of the Federal Security Service "Lefortovo"
registers all visitors. Why then has the Federal Security Service failed
to detect the officers who applied psychotropic agents to Pichugin? It
is known that they introduced themselves as personnel of the economic
crimes department. So how, as I ask in my inquiry, did they perform the
control When was the check-up performed? Who was responsible for the check-up?
There are no answers here. If the investigators were interested in objectivity,
they would immediately appoint an expert check. But it transpires that
the check-up was reduced to the questioning of the doctor performed without
the presence of Pichugin's barristers. In this case we were also confronted
by the inertness of the Prosecutor's Office. I also forwarded an inquiry to the Prosecutor General Ustinov, and there are grounds to think
that this inertness is criminal.
I don't see the interest in objective investigation either in the Prosecutor
General's Office or in the Federal Security Service.
We all remember dissidents telling us that the KGB used psychotropic
agents. Now we are facing a recurrence of this. My version is simple:
an attempt was made using these agents to obtain information from Pichugin
that would compromise the leadership of YUKOS.
Recently we celebrated any anniversary of the events of August 1991.
Consequently I would like to ask the following question: did we defend
the "White House" in August 1991 to end up in the current situation?
We will investigate this case as long asnecessary. If it takes a year
- we shall conduct it over a year. If it requires two years - we will
take two years. But such a case should be subject to a public assessment.
And let no one expect that they can escape responsibility.
See also:
YUKOS
Case
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