Russia: nuclear scientist released on "spy swap"

Dr. Igor Staging (pictured), a scientist and former head of the Russian nuclear division at the Russian Academy of Sciences in Moscow, was released on July 9.

According to BBC reports, Staging has been delivered in Britain as one of a number of individuals convicted of spying in Russia who are being exchanged with 10 to 11 individuals alleged by the US to be Russian spies.

Staging was arrested by the Federal Security Service of Russia in October 1999, accused of espionage and sentenced to 15 years in a strict regime penal colony, in a case that human rights advocates believe it is politically motivated and part of a crackdown on freedom of expression in Russia.

Staging was accused of passing classified information to a research company based in London which was carrying out an independent analysis of the civic-military relations in Russia.

Staging has always asserted that only uses public sources of information and as a civilian investigator had no access to classified sources.

His case was identified as both a political prisoner by Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch also said that Sutyagins trial did not meet international standards.

Israel Scholars fight for freedom of dissent

More than 500 Israeli academics, including two former ministers of education have signed a petition to protest against the new laws, backed by the government of Benjamin Netanyahu, to criminalize Israeli academics who openly support a boycott of Israeli academic institutions, the Guardian reported on July 11.

The request was triggered by the recent comments of the Israeli education minister, Gideon Saar, the government will take action against the supporters of the boycott.

A new bill pending before the Israeli parliament prohibit boycotts and penalize their supporters, including a ban on foreign boycotts that encourage or support to enter Israel for 10 years.
In the academic sector, this would affect a small number of scholars who have spoken in support of the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) including Never Gordon, author of Israel's Occupation.

Although most of the signers of the petition does not support an academic boycott all have identified the new law as an attempt to stifle freedom of expression. The petition states: "We have different and varied opinions about solving the difficult problems facing Israel, but there is one thing we agree on - freedom of expression and academic freedom are the lifeblood of the academic system."