A Hero of Our Time

Dreamscanner presents
A HERO OF OUR TIME

The Case of Mikhail Ivanovich Trepashkin

He wanted to stop criminals in uniform who are in power — they want to imprison him.

Today, December 15, here, in the Moscow District Military Court, they are trying to deal with (as usual in Russia — covering up with the appearance of the law) an officer who refused to become a criminal. With a lawyer who defended the rights of his clients to the end. With a man who fulfilled his civic duty to the end.

The leaders of the FSB did not forgive Trepashkin for refusing to become a criminal along with them. The FSB did not forgive him for trying to protect the rights of people directly or indirectly affected by its actions. The FSB leadership did not forgive him for being an honest man and simply a citizen of Russia, who was not afraid to express his point of view regarding the work of the FSB and the legal situation in the country.

Do not pass by: you could be next!

Information about the case of M.I. Trepashkin — on the websites
trepashkin.narod.ru and kolokol.ru

Write to the addresses Luda1989@yandex.ru and Geomillenium@mail.ru

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Mikhail Trepashkin: Biographical Facts

Mikhail Trepashkin's military service began in the nuclear submarine fleet. After his conscript service, he entered the Higher School of the KGB. From 1976, he was an investigator in the KGB's investigative department, specializing in cases involving the smuggling of cultural valuables and works of art.

In the 1990s, he worked in the FSB's Internal Security Directorate. His superior was Nikolai Patrushev, the current head of the FSB. Among Trepashkin's successful cases was the 1995 exposure of a criminal group within the FSB and GRU that was involved in selling weapons to Chechnya. However, the case was ordered closed. A conflict with the leadership arose. In the same year, he was dismissed from the agencies. In early 1996, he sued the FSB for illegal dismissal, and the court granted his claim. But the court's decision was never actually implemented.

In early 1997, Trepashkin was attacked on the street and beaten. By this time, he had given several interviews about corruption in the FSB. On the same topic, the former intelligence officer sent a letter to the President of the Russian Federation, Boris Yeltsin.

In mid-1997, Alexander Litvinenko, who at that time worked in the Directorate for the Development of Criminal Organizations (URPO), received an order to organize an attack on Trepashkin. Subsequently, in a complaint to the prosecutor's office that Litvinenko filed against URPO as a criminal organization, Trepashkin was mentioned along with Boris Berezovsky and Khusein Dzhabrailov. The latter two were also under URPO surveillance: Berezovsky was to be killed, and Dzhabrailov was to be kidnapped. In 1998, Trepashkin took part in a press conference at which FSB officers Litvinenko, Ponkin, and Shchepkin accused the FSB of criminal activity. Trepashkin attended the press conference as a victim.

After this, Trepashkin spent two years in private legal practice. In September 2001, he assisted French journalists who were filming the movie "Assassination of Russia," in which he spoke about FSB activities in connection with the apartment bombings in Moscow and Volgodonsk. Immediately after this, a search was conducted at his home. A criminal case was opened against Trepashkin on charges of disclosing state secrets and illegal possession of weapons. The second charge was later dropped, but the first remained.

In early 2002, Trepashkin met Sergei Yushenkov and began actively cooperating with him in the public commission investigating the apartment bombings in Russian cities in 1999. In the same year, he became the legal representative for the Morozov sisters, who live in the USA (they were recognized as victims in the apartment bombings case). In August 2003, Tatyana Morozova came to Moscow and, together with Trepashkin, sought access to documents on the bombing case. This was the only attempt by victims of the 1999 terrorist attacks to obtain any information on the case.

On October 31, 2003, the trial for the apartment bombings case began, at which M.I. Trepashkin was supposed to appear as a lawyer for the victims. But he was unable to do so. On October 21, while returning to Moscow from Dmitrov while traveling for work as a lawyer, Trepashkin was stopped by GIBDD (traffic police) officers, and a pistol was planted on him. Since then, he has been in prison.

December 1, 2003. Arbat, District Military Court. Photo

Timeline of Events

• In 1998, Trepashkin took part in a press conference where FSB officers Litvinenko, Ponkin, and Shcheglov accused the FSB of criminal activity. Trepashkin attended the press conference as a victim.
• After this, Trepashkin spent two years in private legal practice.
• In September 2001, he gave an interview to French journalists who were filming the movie "Assassination of Russia," in which he spoke about the activities of the FSB in the context of the apartment bombings in Moscow and Volgodonsk.
• Immediately after this, a search was conducted at his home.
• A criminal case was opened against Trepashkin on charges of disclosing state secrets and illegal possession of weapons.
• The second charge was later dropped, but the first remained.
• In early 2002, Trepashkin met Sergei Yushenkov and began actively cooperating with him within the framework of the commission investigating the apartment bombings in Russian cities in 1999.
• In the same year, he became the legal representative of the Morozov sisters, who live in the USA (they were recognized as victims in the apartment bombings case).
• In August 2003, Tatyana Morozova came to Moscow and, together with Trepashkin, sought access to documents on the bombings case. This was the only attempt by the victims of the 1999 bombings to obtain at least some information on the case.
• On October 31, 2003, the trial in the apartment bombings case began, at which M.I. Trepashkin was supposed to act as the lawyer for the victims. But he was unable to do so.
• On October 22, while returning to Moscow from Dmitrov, where he had gone on business as a lawyer, Trepashkin was stopped by traffic police officers, and a pistol was planted on him.
• Since then, he has been in prison.

1.12.2003. Arbat, District Military Court. Photo by N. Gorokhov

Mikhail Trepashkin and the apartment bombings

Statement of the Moscow group for the investigation of the events of September 1999

Mikhail Ivanovich Trepashkin was detained on October 22 — a week before the start of hearings in the Moscow City Court on the apartment bombings.

The issue of his arrest on charges of a crime from the category of serious ones — disclosure of state secrets — had been considered by the Chief Military Prosecutor's Office since the spring. But he was arrested on another charge — possession of a pistol. We are convinced that this charge is falsified and that Trepashkin's arrest is linked specifically to the bombings case.

We know of several cases of obvious planting of weapons on our Chechen and Ingush acquaintances. They are trying to charge Trepashkin himself with illegal possession of weapons for the fourth time already.

The investigation of the bombings became an actual investigation, rather than just reading others' publications, only thanks to Trepashkin. Mikhail pointed out the methodology through which the search for witnesses became possible. He presented the first information he found himself to all three groups investigating the events: Felshtinsky, Kovalev, and us. Subsequently, using his methodology, our group and Yuri Felshtinsky obtained very important results, in our view.

We declare that weighty evidence of FSB involvement in the organization of the apartment bombings has been found.

1. An anonymous prediction about the bombing of "three houses in residential areas of Moscow" originated from the FSB. Three houses were indeed mined: two were blown up, one (on Borisovskie Prudy Street) they managed to defuse.
2. A connection was found between the firm that helped register the firm of the main accused — Gochiyayev — and for which he was not an ordinary client, and a firm belonging to a major Moscow criminal group. Many authors, including the recently deceased Yuri Shchekochikhin, have written about the links between this group and the FSB over various years.

(These and other results are contained in our group's report at www.somnenie.narod.ru/bl/obzor2.html).

Mikhail Trepashkin initiated other search directions as well.

As the official defender of one of the victims, Trepashkin was supposed to participate in the trial that began on October 31 in the Moscow City Court. He was not allowed preliminary access to the criminal case file. It is clear that Trepashkin's participation in the trial is dangerous for those who fear an objective investigation of the events.

The trial on the apartment bombings must be open (terrorists and law enforcement agencies should not have joint secrets from the public), and a lawyer who has a legal right to this and knows the circumstances of the events better than others must be allowed to participate in it. For this, Mikhail Trepashkin must be released.

Lyudmila Evstifeeva,
Evgeny Frumkin