Comité Bandajevsky

Comité Bandajevsky

Association

« Enfants de Tchernobyl Bélarus »

France Libertés

In 1990, Yuri Bandajevsky, a young physician, doctor of science and anatomo-pathologist was appointed, at the age of 33, as rector of the Gomel medical institute to enable him to carry out research and to train young doctors. Gomel is located in a zone that was severely contaminated by the 1986 Chernobyl explosion. Professor Bandajevsky was aware of this but, since 1986, he had submitted a series of projects to the Academy of Science and the Ministry of Health to study the role of radioactivity on the vital organs and systems of the body, especially during the development of the embryo. His appointment at Gomel would thus allow him to understand the mechanism and the effects of contamination and to bring assistance to the inhabitants concerned. Over the next 9 years the Institute carried out noteworthy research and during this period Professor Bandajevsky received 5 awards and medals for his findings, recognised by the international community.

His most significant breakthrough concerned the effects of Caesium 137 the half-life of which is 30 years, but which remains radioactive for 3 centuries. The important feature of this type of radioactivity is that since it is present in wild or farmed foodstuffs, such as milk, meat or fish, it is ingested daily in small quantities by the local population. Realising the importance of these findings and that they would enable the inhabitants of the contaminated zones to take measures to avoid a further worsening of their health, Bandajevsky, prompted by his overriding concern for truth, preventive action and medical care, decided to communicate his findings. In April 1999, Yuri Bandajevsky and Vassili Nesterenko, founder of the independent "Belrad" radioprotection Institute, which provides aid to children affected by the radioactive fallout, were invited by the Belarus parliament to be members of a commission to verify the radioactivity register and the use of the state funds of the Ministry of Health Institute of Radiology in its research into the results of the Chernobyl accident. Their conclusions displeased those members of the commission close to the Ministry whose recognition of scientific value is limited to conclusions of the IAEA in Vienna. Bandajevsky, Nesterenko and Stojarov, a former director of the Institute, signed a separate, minority report which was sent to the Belarus Security Council responsible for the health of the population. Independently, Bandajevsky sent a report to President Loukachenko severely criticising the orientation of the research programme of the Institute and showing that, in the year 1998, no more than 1 billion out of a total of 17 billions roubles had been profitably spent. During the following weeks in May, 1999, three consecutive control commissions from the Ministry of Health carried out inspections of the Gomel institute. No anomalies were found. Yuri Bandajevsky was then arrested at his home on July 13, 1999. The new director of the Gomel Institute has since abandoned the research programme set up by Professor Bandajevsky declaring that the programme was not worthy of a higher education centre.

Yuri Bandajevsky was arrested under an anti-terrorist presidential decree. In August however, after 22 days of solitary confinement, he learnt that he was accused of accepting bribes in order to allow students enter his Institute. His preventive detention lasted 6 months, during which time he was subject to physical and psychological violence. He was finally only released thanks to international mobilisation. His trial began on April 13, 2001. Forewarned, observers from the OSCE (Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe) attended the trial and revealed several infringements of the Belorussian penal code (Appendix 1). On 18 June, the military tribunal, which rules on the case, sentenced Professor Bandajevsky to 8 years' imprisonment in a penal settlement with restrictive conditions. He was sentenced, despite the absence of any proof and the fact that the vice-rector of the Gomel Institute, who was also charged and who had previously born witness against Bandajevsky, had retracted his accusations before the beginning of the trial, stating that he had acted under duress.

Following a general amnesty, Professor Bandajevsky was granted a one-year reprieve. Debarred from the right of appeal, his lawyers submitted a plea to the President of the Supreme Court of Belarus to annul the sentence pronounced by the Military Tribunal. In April, 2002, his lawyer, Mr Pogoniaïlo, lodged an appeal with the United Nations Human Rights Committee (Appendix 2). Nevertheless, it would seem that it is international associative, civic and especially institutional groups that are likely to be the most effective form of action in securing the immediate release of Professor Bandajevsky so as to enable him to resume his research in aid of the ever-worsening health situation of the population on his release from prison.

The France Libertés Foundation mobilised in favour of Yuri Bandajevsky immediately after his arrest, informing the French and Belorussian authorities of the situation and also by participating actively in a campaign to increase public awareness and support.

Amnesty International designated Bandajevsky as a prisoner of opinion, demanding his immediate and unconditional release (Appendix 3). In France, a network of 10 Amnesty groups was formed making it possible to send nearly 10,000 signatures to the Belorussian Embassy in Paris. Several Amnesty sections from other countries are actively following the case. Francis Perrin, President of Amnesty France and the Belorussian co-ordination group had a lengthy discussion with the Belarus Ambassador in October, 2002, raising the question of human rights in the country. The case of Bandajevsky, who is still considered by the authorities as being "a great scientist, although, at the same time, a criminal who must serve his sentence" was the subject of an animated discussion. Nevertheless, the Ambassador stated that he was prepared to continue the exchange of views in another meeting.

The "Action des Chrétiens pour l'Abolition de la Torture" (ACAT-France), joined the mobilisation in defence of Professor Bandajevsky and, in August, launched an appeal, distributed to 25,000 people to resume pressure on the Belarus authorities for the liberation of Professor Bandajevsky.

The "Commission de Recherche et d'Information Indépendantes sur la Radioactivité (CRIIRAD), a non-profitmaking association, dedicated to environmental protection has provided support for Professor Bandajevsky since February, 2001. Like "France Libertés", the "CRIIRAD" works in collaboration with the French organisation, "Les Enfants de Tchernobyl Belarus" whose vice-president is professor Nesterenko.

As a scientist, Bandajevsky has the support of the "Comité de Défense des Hommes de Sciences de l'Académie des Sciences de Paris", CODHOS (Appendix 4), the "Association Européenne pour la Promotion de la Science et de la Technologie, EUROSCIENCE (Appendix 5) and the "Groupement de Scientifiques pour l'Information sur l'Energie Nucléaire (for further information see the site : www.multimania.com/yvesrenaud/gazette.) These organisations are concerned with questions concerning both the infringement on the professor's rights, but equally with the scientific loss resulting from his imprisonment and the serious decline of his health which could, if not rapidly brought to an end, prevent him resuming his research on his release from prison. It should be pointed out that the results of his research are arousing growing interest and underlie certain studies relating to the consequences of the Chernobyl catastrophe. Thus, the European Committee on Radiation Risks (ECRR), an independent scientific commission, made use of Professor Bandajevsky's research into Caesium 137, concluding in the necessity of strengthening protective standards in relation to radioactivity.

Unfortunately, the influence of the associations remains limited and the intervention of institutions is necessary. The European Parliament reacted as early as May, 2001, by awarding a "Passport to freedom" to Yuri Bandajevsky, expressing its support and undertaking to monitor the respect of his fundamental rights. In the same year, following his trial, the Parliament adopted a resolution clearly indicating its concern with the workings of justice and the management of the health situation in Belarus. Non-governmental groups are frequently confronted with refusal from the Belorussian authorities, especially when inquiring about the conditions of Bandajevsky's incarceration, conditions which are inhuman and aimed, ever since his arrest, at his physical and psychological destruction (Appendix 6). Representatives of European or national institutions, however, are not confronted with this sort of obstacle. As an example, on 10 June, 2002, MPs from the European Council on an official visit to Minsk insisted on meeting Bandajevsky in prison. As a result, Bandajevsky was moved from a barrack cell of 80 to a cell with 3 inmates, equipped with a computer and making it possible for him to write. This improvement was in fact only apparent, as he was deprived of visits for 3 months and this isolation was psychologically detrimental. In a letter to the United Nations, his wife, Galina, described the mental distress of her husband who had lost all confidence in himself and the desire to continue his research. More recently, the French and German ambassadors visited him, thereby bringing considerable pressure to bear on the authorities of the country. However, the conditions of his imprisonment and the daily pressure to which he is subject are gradually undermining his mental health. During her last visit, his wife found a man who, though touched by the concern that international civil society (and particularly European) was showing, was suffering from growing depression and desperation.

Yuri Bandajevsky was imprisoned so that he could not continue his research, communicate his findings and thus save lives. This stands in contradiction to article 19 of the 1966 United Nations International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and covering freedom of research. This article reflects the spirit which incited the European Parliament to create the Sakahrov Prize. This is why the name of Professor Bandajevsky has already been mentioned in relation to the award of this prize for freedom of thought, a prize already awarded to Nelson Mandela in 1988, Wei Jingsheng in 1996 and Oswaldo José Paya Sardinas in 2002. At the same time, public opinion is beginning to become more widely informed of the injustice inflicted on Yuri Bandajevsky. The most recent visit to Paris of his wife, Galina, in June, 2003, during which she received, on her husband's behalf, the title of honorary citizen, unanimously awarded by the city council, was accompanied by the publication of articles in the national press.

The Bandajevsky Committee

It is essential that this mobilisation in favour of Bandajevsky should be carried on and developed. For this reason, a support network, the Bandajvesky Committee, has been created in order to bring together the different organisations and individuals working in the field of "rights, truth and justice".

- to publicise this case as widely as possible and to prompt actions by citizens, scientists and political figures, as in the "Manifesto for the release of Bandajevsky and the freedom of research" which has so far received more than 8,000 signatures, including those of a considerable number of well-known scientists and politicians (Appendix 7);

- to encourage and support symbolic acts such as those of the municipal councils of Paris, Clermont Ferrand and of the Nord-Pas-de-Calais region who conferred honorary citizenship on Professor Bandajevsky, or at least "motions of support", as was the case for Grenoble and Mably...

- to disseminate via the website www.comite-bandajevsky.org the different forms of expression and support for Yuri Bandajevsky, Galina Bandajevskaya, Vassili Nesterenko and the inhabitants of the contaminated regions. French and English versions are available.