Muck Ado About Something

Russian journalist and environmental muckraker Grigory Pasko was paroled from prison yesterday after serving part of a highly contested term for treason. Pasko became the poster-child for concerns about Russian limitations on press freedoms when he was convicted for taking notes during a 1997 meeting of Russian naval commanders. The court claimed that Pasko had planned to pass the notes to Japanese reporters, but his supporters say the conviction was punishment for Pasko's coverage of national environmental abuses, including the Navy's practice of dumping radioactive waste into the ocean. Pasko has consistently maintained his innocence and hopes to clear his name.