Misha Verbitsky, a distinguished mathematician and long-time public critic of the Russian state, has reportedly been detained at Yerevan airport on a Russian request.
Verbitsky is known not only for his mathematical work, but also for his uncompromising public writing: against war, against censorship, in favor of open culture and free expression. One need not agree with everything he has written to see the danger here. The Russian charges against him arise in the context of political speech and dissent. Extradition to Russia would therefore place him at grave risk.
Armenia should not hand him over. At minimum, Verbitsky must have immediate access to lawyers, independent observers, and a fair procedure in which the political nature of the Russian request is taken seriously.
This is urgent. Please circulate reliable information, contact academic and human-rights networks, and ask Armenian authorities not to extradite Misha Verbitsky to Russia.
For questions, please contact his daughter, Sima
Unsolicited Nonsense 