The Nikitin case has entered a decisive stage, said Bellona’s legaladviser Jon Gauslaa as demonstrators from Amnesty International, Bellonaand The Body Shop – a chain of cosmetics shops – protested outside theRussian Embassy in Oslo on 25 June.

Gauslaa had several meetings with Nikitin’s lawyers in St. Petersburgonly a few days earlier.

It’s very important that we put pressure on Russian authoritiesright now. That’s why I’m particularly happy with the support we arereceiving here, said Gauslaa.

During the last month, close to 50,000 fingerprint and almost 5,000protest postcards in support of the espionage accused Bellona co-workerAleksandr Nikitin, have been collected. These were delivered to arepresentative of the Russian Embassy. The Oslo demonstration was partof an international effort; a similar demonstration waas carried throughoutside the Russian Embassy in San Fransisco later the same day, byprominent American environmental and human rights organisations.