Вил Мирзаянов - State Secrets - An Insider's Chronicle of the Russian Chemical Weapons Program

- in August 1992 – to leading the scientist at the Institute of Geochemistry and Analytical Chemistry of Russian Academy of Sciences L.A. Fedorov, published jointly with him this information on September 16 1992 in the N 38 issue of the weekly newspaper Moscow News in the article “Poisoned Policies”;

- in October 1992 – to the reporter O.V. Vishnyakov from the magazine Novoe Vremya and with his assistance published in the N 44 issue of his magazine Novoe Vremya the article “The Binary Bomb has Exploded”;

- in September 1992 – to the reporter William Englund of the American newspaper the Baltimore Sun and through him published this information in that paper on September 16, 1992 in the article “Ex Soviet Scientist Says Gorbachev’s Regime Created a New Nerve Gas in 1991” , that is to say this is the commission of a crime stipulated for Part 1, Clause 75 UK RSFSR.

The Indictment was composed November 17, 1993 in Moscow.

Senior investigator of

MB RF Investigation Department

Major of Justice

V.A. Shkarin

Letter of U.S. Senator Bill Bradley to Strobe Talbot the Ambassador Plenipotentiary to Russia and Special Advisor on issues of the Newly Independent States, October 14, 1993.

Dear Strobe:

I am writing regarding the case of Vil Mirzayanov, the Russian chemist charged with divulging state secrets for disclosing the existence of a secret Russian chemical weapons production plant.

I am concerned by reports that Dr. Mirzayanov has been charged according to an unpublished list of state secrets drawn up after the publication of Dr. Mirzayanov’s articles, in Moscow News, in violation of Article 66 of the Russian criminal code. I am also concerned that he has not had access to the prosecutor’s evidence, some of which may have been falsified. It is also important that Dr. Mirzayanov’s trial be open to the public, in accordance with Russian law.

Dr. Mirzayanov’s allegations also have important implications for Russia’s adherence to its chemical weapons commitments. It is important that the Administration follow up on the information Dr. Mirzayanov has provided.

I would encourage you to raise these concerns with the Russian government at a senior level. It is important for the development of Russia’s democratic institutions that it respect the human and legal rights of people like Dr. Mirzayanov.

I look forward to your prompt response.

Sincerely,

Bill Bradley

Letter of John Conyers, Jr., Chairman of the Congressional Legislation and National Security Subcommittee of the Committee on Government Operations, to Warren Christopher, the U.S. Secretary of State, October 19, 1993.

“Dear Mr. Secretary,

I am writing today regarding Dr. Vil Mirzayanov, former researcher at the State Union Scientific Research Institute for Organic Chemistry and Technology in Moscow, Russia, who was arrested in October 1992 and charged with divulging state secrets. Dr. Mirzayanov recently received a Special Recognition Award for Moral Courage from the Cavallo Foundation, and his case has been the concern of numerous human rights committees.

Dr. Mirzayanov’s arrest resulted from an article he co-authored which discussed a secret institute for research and development of a new generation of powerful binary chemical weapons, and the danger posed to the public from leakage of toxic chemicals by the institute into the environment. Concerned that the Institute’s activities created serious health dangers to Moscow’s civilian population, Dr. Mirzayanov courageously revealed that the Russian government’s public call for the elimination of chemical weapons was deceptive, since new chemical weapons research was being secretly funded.

I am concerned about the charges brought against Dr. Mirzayanov — the first person to be accused of violating Communist-era secrecy laws since the August 1991 coup — and the actions of the Yeltsin administration. As you know, Soviet law covering state secrets became invalid when Russia became an independent state. Yet, it appears that Russian security forces continue to suppress public discussion of vital government policies.

Thus, the arrest of Dr. Mirzayanov appears to serve as a warning to other reform-minded individuals who may be contemplating exercising their newly established “democratic rights” of freedom of expression. Additionally, Dr. Mirzayanov’s detention without access to an attorney and the restrictions placed on his access to evidence violate internationally accepted standards of due process.

The persecution of Dr. Mirzayanov stands in direct contradiction of the Clinton Administration’s commitment to strengthen democratization efforts in the former Soviet Union, and halt the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction. I am confident that you share my deep concern over the treatment of this courageous scientist, and I call on you to personally appeal for his release.

As the only remaining super power and the leading proponent of democracy in the world, the United States is in a unique position of influence. With Dr. Mirzayanov’s trial likely to begin in November, time is growing short. Please have your staff contact Ms. Randy Katsoyannis at 225-5147 to schedule a briefing on the State Department’s plan to assist Dr. Mirzayanov.

I appreciate your attention to this vital matter.

Sincerely,

John Conyers, Jr.

Chairman

Legislation and National Security Subcommittee”

Letter of U.S. Senator Daniel Patrick Moynihan to the Secretary of State Warren Christopher, December 23, 1993.

Dear Chris:

I am writing to express my deep concern regarding Dr. Vil Mirzayanov, a Russian chemist who has been arrested for publishing an article in Moskovski Novosti (Moscow News) alleging that the Soviet Union developed and that Russia subsequently tested a new class of organophosphorous nerve gases, which are highly toxic and when are absorbed through the skin or lungs shut down the nervous system, for use as chemical weapons. This matter was brought to my attention by David Wise, a journalist of distinction and friend of thirty years, who met with Mirzayanov last month while in Moscow researching a documentary program for FRONTLINE.

In the September 16, 1992 article, Dr. Mirzayanov asserts the new nerve gasses, gas known as Novichok (Newcomer) were developed at the State Union Scientific Research Institute for Organic Chemistry and Technology in Moscow between 1987 and 1991. Dr. Mirzayanov also asserts that the chemicals have been weaponized and that they were tested in 1992. Recent articles by Vladimir Uglev, a senior researcher from the Institute have corroborated Dr. Mirzayanov’s account.

As a result of his article, Dr. Mirzayanov was arrested on October 22, 1992. He has since been released but is awaiting trial on charges of divulging state secrets. However, I am informed that his work on chemical weapons was not classified until after his arrest. Specifically, I understand that on March 30, 1993 the Council of Ministers issued a decree signed by Prime Minister Victor Chernomyrdin to classify all previous work on chemical and biological weapons.

This case is particularly disturbing because the administration has just sent the Chemical Weapons Convention to the Senate Foreign Relations Committee for its ratification. Agreement was reached on this treaty on September 3, 1992, less than two weeks before Dr. Mirzayanov’s article was published. His allegations are serious. If true, it means Russia may have disingenuously negotiated and signed a treaty on chemical weapons which does not prohibit its newly developed weapon because it is not listed on the detailed schedules appended to the convention.