Fugitive Russia lawyer seeks U.S. asylum

MOSCOW (Reuters) - A fugitive Russian attorney has applied for political asylum in the United States after accusing Russia's security service of waging a vendetta against him, his lawyer said on Tuesday.

Boris Kuznetsov is wanted in Russia on charges of revealing state secrets. He says he is being punished for blowing the whistle on illegal phonetapping by the secret services, and that he will not receive a fair trial if he returns home.

Kuznetzov is living in New Jersey where he is writing a book about abuses by the Federal Security Service (FSB), main successor to the Soviet-era KGB. His lawyer in Moscow, Robert Zinoviev, confirmed that he was seeking asylum.

"He told me about this (the application) himself," Zinoviev told Reuters. "He believes that he is being prosecuted for conscientiously carrying out his professional duties."

"He could be ... detained and arrested and naturally he is wary of returning to the country."

Russian rights activists have raised concern about official pressure on lawyers in politically charged cases. They say prosecutors sometimes target lawyers purely because they defend a client who has fallen out with officialdom.

On several occasions, prosecutors have applied to have lawyers representing Mikhail Khodorkovsky, a Kremlin opponent and former boss of oil company YUKOS, stripped of their right to practice.

The charges against Kuznetsov relate to his work as a defense lawyer for Levon Chakhmakhchyan, a member of the upper house of parliament who is being tried for corruption.

Kuznetsov said he had evidence that the FSB had been tapping his client's telephone without clearance. He sent the evidence to the Constitutional Court. Prosecutors alleged that in doing that he had disclosed state secrets.

The FSB has not responded to requests for comment on the Kuznetsov case.