In the case of time: lawyers demanded the dismissal of the judge in the case of archaeologist Butyagin

The defense of Russian archaeologist Alexander Butyagin, whose case began to be considered in the Warsaw Court, demanded that the judge be dismissed. Ukraine insists on the scientist's extradition, accusing him of allegedly illegal excavations in Crimea. However, such a decision was not made, as the lawyers questioned the impartiality of the judge. Nevertheless, Butyagin remains under arrest in Poland. The date of the next court hearing has not yet been announced. Russia will continue to defend the scientist's innocence and seek his release. At the same time, the Russian Embassy in Warsaw warned citizens about the risks of traveling to Poland in connection with possible arrests.

Why didn't the court decide to extradite Butyagin

On January 15, the Warsaw District Court began considering the case of the extradition to Ukraine of Alexander Butyagin, a Russian archaeologist and employee of the Hermitage Museum. No decision was made on the results of the first day. Adam Domansky, the scientist's lawyer, explained that the hearing was extended due to the defense's motion to dismiss Judge Dariusz Lubowski. The defense questioned his impartiality.

— This petition is based on the defense's assessment of the court's consideration of all previous petitions, as well as on information that previously appeared in the media about another case of the same judge. In that episode, the court refused to extradite the Ukrainian citizen to Germany, concluding that the act of sabotage imputed to him was not a criminal offense, the Russian lawyer said.

According to him, we are talking about a person involved in the September 2022 explosion of the Nord Stream gas pipeline, laid along the bottom of the Baltic Sea.

According to lawyer Adam Domansky, the court session was held behind closed doors. It began with the defense's request to postpone the hearing of the case, since the scientist received some of the materials only on the day of the hearing. In addition, the defense demanded to request information from Ukraine regarding the grounds of the charges. The court, however, refused to grant the request for a postponement.

Why is the archaeologist's case politically motivated

According to the lawyer, during the hearings, Alexander Butyagin gave explanations, describing in detail his work at the archaeological site of Mermeikion since the 1990s. He stressed that he always had the necessary permits from the relevant administrative authorities, and there were no problems until 2014. However, after that, the scientist objectively lost the opportunity to obtain the consent of the Ukrainian authorities to continue research, and the relevant permits began to be issued by the competent authorities of Russia.

"He is accused of carrying out archaeological work without permission, but this act cannot be grounds for extradition, as it is not criminally punishable," Adam Domansky explained.

According to him, during the meeting, Alexander Butyagin stressed that he is a man of science, and his work has always been exclusively research in nature and was aimed at the benefit of humanity. At the same time, the scientist expressed disagreement with a possible extradition to Ukraine, saying that it could endanger his life and health.

— It is known that Poland seeks to use the legal procedures initiated by Ukraine against the Russians. Poland has repeatedly sent signals that any Russian citizens who arrive on its territory are undesirable," Oleg Nemensky, a leading expert at the Russian Institute for Strategic Studies, told Izvestia.

In some cases, visas may be issued to individuals who are viewed in the West as representatives of the Russian political opposition. Otherwise, according to the analyst, Poland currently does not issue visas to Russian citizens.

According to the expert, the detention of Alexander Butyagin can be considered as a way to replenish the so—called "exchange fund" - a group of people who are used in Ukraine to exchange for Russian military personnel who have been captured. At the same time, there is a danger to his life and health, since it is known in what physical and moral condition Ukraine returns citizens of the Russian Federation.

How the trial of a scientist can affect the development of science

— Not every specialist is lucky enough to find treasures in the ground, where archaeological work has been carried out for centuries. In particular, we have received three treasures from the excavations led by Alexander Butyagin, two gold and one bronze," said Deputy General Director of the East Crimean Historical and Cultural Museum-Reserve (Kerch) Natalia Bykovskaya.

She noted that the archaeologist's colleagues and associates were writing letters to Polish state authorities demanding that the legal incident used by the prosecution be corrected. At the same time, international conventions prohibit extradition if a person who is subject to this procedure may be harmed. However, such precedents have already happened when law was replaced by politics.

— The case against Butyagin is a political order. Everyone, including the Ukrainian colleagues at the Institute of Archaeology in Kiev, understands the absurdity of the accusations. It is absolutely unacceptable to fulfill this order. You can't make science a hostage to political struggle, otherwise it can stop the development of entire fields," commented Vadim Maiko, Director of the Institute of Archaeology of the Crimea of the Russian Academy of Sciences.

It is worth noting that many scientists work outside their country. Therefore, there is hope that the international community will cast its vote in defense of the Russian archaeologist, he added.

Due to its geographical location, Crimea has always served as a crossroads of civilizations, a link between East and West, Vadim Maiko added. Because of this, the peninsula is of great interest to archaeological science. Therefore, the foreign scientists who work there will continue their research.

The Russian Embassy in Warsaw has warned Russian citizens about the growth of Russophobic sentiments in Poland, recommending that they refrain from traveling to the republic.