ST. PETERSBURG. March 5 (Interfax) - The Second General Jurisdiction Court of Appeal has allowed St. Petersburg scientist Valery Mitko, who is under house arrest, to take daily walks, the Team 29 human rights association, whose lawyers are representing Mitko, said.
"Today, the second appellate court partially granted the motion filed by our lawyers and allowed scientist Valery Mitko, 79, who is under house arrest, to take walks for two hours a day," Team 29 said.
"Now our client has the right to take walks from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. for two hours. He can go to the store, to a notary, and to a hairdresser, but the range of his walks can be only one kilometer from his house," lawyer Anton Golubev said.
"The court once again confirmed that the gravity of the charge is not a sufficient reason to significantly restrict the rights of the defendant," Team 29 head Ivan Pavlov said.
Earlier, the courts declined to allow Mitko to take daily walks, despite relevant instructions from doctors.
Mitko has been charged with high treason. He was detained and placed under house arrest in February 2020.
According to the theory of the investigation, the scientist collected materials containing information that constitutes a state secret while on an "espionage mission" and handed them over to the Chinese security services during a trip to China in 2018. This concerns developments in the field of hydroacoustics.
Mitko does not admit guilt.
The defense team has said that Mitko has not had access to state secrets for many years.
According to publicly available information, including information published on the Roscongress Foundation's website, Mitko is a Capt. 1st Rank (Reserve). Between 1963 and 1994, he was a crewmember on board ships and submarines and an employee of the Navy's institutions. After he was transferred to the reserve in 1994, as the head of the Naval Academy's department of undersea information systems, he continued his scientific and pedagogical activity at academic and educational establishments.