Pubdate: Tue, 10 Jul 2001 Source: The Southeast Missourian (MO) Copyright: 2001, Southeast Missourian Contact: http://www.semissourian.com/opinion/speakout/submit/ Website: http://www.semissourian.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/1322 Author: Masha Herbst RUSSIAN COURT DENIES APPEAL BY U.S. STUDENT JAILED FOR DRUGS HARTFORD, Conn. (AP) -- A Russian court Tuesday rejected a new appeal by John Tobin, a U.S. Fulbright scholar jailed in Russia on a drug conviction, Tobin's congressman said. Rep. James Maloney, D-Conn., said the court refused to overturn the conviction for marijuana possession. Tobin, 24, has denied any wrongdoing. He has said he was framed by Russian authorities after he refused their request to become a spy. A court in Voronezh, 300 miles south of Moscow, sentenced Tobin to 37 months in prison in April. On appeal the Voronezh Regional Court reduced the sentence to a year and dropped convictions on charges of drug dealing, operating a drug den and drug distribution. Tobin's lawyer, Maxim Bayev, filed a second appeal to the Voronezh Regional Court on June 18 seeking to get the marijuana charge dropped. Tobin's lawyer in Russia could not be reached for comment by telephone and the courts were closed at the time Maloney announced the ruling. Maloney, who represents Tobin's hometown of Ridgefield, said he was disappointed but not surprised by Tuesday's ruling. "The Russians have been signaling for some time that they want this matter resolved either through a pardon request, which Jack has declined to do, or through parole of his remaining sentence," Maloney said. On Monday, a Russian official said Tobin could be freed on good behavior in early August after serving half his one-year sentence. Tobin has refused to seek a pardon because he believes he has done nothing wrong, Maloney said. Tobin, who was studying at Voronezh State University on a Fulbright scholarship, is a graduate of Middlebury College and had studied at a U.S. military intelligence school and at the elite Defense Language Institute. - --- MAP posted-by: GD