– Withdraw all charges now!

OSLO (Bellona Web): – The charges against Aleksandr Niktin are fabricated, said Per J.Zimmer of Amnesty International during a demonstration outside theRussian embassy in Oslo this afternoon (October 20).

The demonstrants, representing Amnesty and the health product chain BodyShop, handed over a letter addressed to President Boris Jeltsin in whichthey demanded that all charges against Nikitin should be withdrawnimmediately.

The letter was received by the assisting military attaché at theembassy, but nobody of the embassy staff were willing to comment theNikitin-case or talk to the Amnesty representatives.

– Amnesty has been strongly engaged in this case, and we will continueto be so. We have an observer in St. Petersburg who will follow thetrial closely – and if Nikitin is convicted he will immediately beadopted as a prisoner of conscience of the Amnesty International, saidZimmer.

At the same time Amnesty arranged a similar demonstration outside theRussian embassy in the Netherlands.

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• Letter to President Yeltsin from Amnesty International, Norwegian branch (1998-10-20)