Submission + - Prominent Researcher Held Captive by Kazakhstan (bringvictorhome.com)
betterunixthanunix writes: "Several weeks ago, Professor Victor Skormin, a prominent and renown researcher, went to Kazakhstan to give talks at universities there and to facilitate further collaboration between those schools and schools in the USA. He was paid in cash by the Kazakh schools, which he attempted to carry with him as he boarded his flight. Due to an error in directions, he neglected to declare his currency at the right time, and was accused of currency smuggling; he refused to bribe the Kazakh customs agents who were accusing him, and was forced to endure a trial in Kazakhstan. During this time, he was unable to obtain his medications, and began to suffer from the effects of kidney failure, and his health has continued to deteriorate. He was found guilty by the judge in Kazakhstan, despite the prosecution's witnesses neglecting to attend the trial, and was fined the full sum of the money he was carrying. His domestic employer, Binghamton University, has neglected to provide him with any form of assistance, has actively worked against others who attempted to contact the state department, and has tried to silence discussion of the situation among faculty on campus."