The July 1 Club, which includes academicians and professors of the Russian Academy of Sciences (RAS), published a statement dedicated to the scientist, head of the laboratory of quantum optical technologies at the Faculty of Physics of NSU Dmitry Kolker, who died in a pre-trial detention center three days after his arrest. Club members expressed condolences to Kolker's family and friends, and also demanded that those responsible for his death be brought to justice. In addition, the scientists added that the procedure for investigating cases of treason creates "high risks for the conduct of scientific work by Russian scientists, primarily in the most important scientific areas for Russia."
The text of the statement states that the lectures, for reading which Kolker was charged with "treason", passed a preliminary examination. The authors attached the act of examination to the application. The audit confirmed that the lectures do not contain state secrets, and information can be taken abroad. “This is a common practice when Russian scientists make presentations at foreign conferences and seminars or give lectures at universities,” the club members noted.
Academicians also expressed a strong protest against the actions of the investigating authorities against Kolker.
“Kolker was arrested in a hospital bed in Novosibirsk and taken to the Lefortovo detention center (Moscow) in a state of IV (terminal) stage of pancreatic cancer (he was on artificial feeding). This inhuman action of the investigating authorities grossly violates the elementary principles of humanism.”
On July 3, it became known that the scientist, head of the laboratory of quantum optical technologies of the Faculty of Physics of the NSU, Dmitry Kolker, died in a pre-trial detention center. Earlier, 54-year-old Kolker was detained on suspicion of treason. He was taken directly from the Novosibirsk hospital, despite the last stage of cancer, put on a plane, brought to Moscow and placed in the Lefortovo pre-trial detention center. Prior to that, he refused to testify against the scientific director of the Institute of Laser Physics of the Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences Sergey Bagaev and the director of this institute Alexei Taychenachev. Kolker's son Maxim told The Insider. Right before flying to Moscow, Dmitry Kolker called his son and said goodbye. The scientist's son also reported that Kolker was accused of transferring information containing state secrets to China.
