FREED U.S. SCHOLAR'S DAD SPEAKS

Aug. 6, 2001 MOSCOW (AP) -- The father of John Tobin, the American
Fulbright scholar released from a Russian prison last week, said
Monday that his son is bouncing back from his time behind bars in a
case that became an irritant in U.S.-Russian relations. "He's not
complaining now," John Tobin Sr. told a news conference at the U.S.
Embassy. "In a sense, he's had a marvelous experience. It sounds a
little ridiculous to say that ... he's seen Russia from the inside."
He and U.S. Rep. James Maloney, who represents Tobin's district in
Connecticut, came to Moscow on Sunday to help speed the process of
getting his son an exit visa. He said Russian officials were being
cooperative. Maloney said he expected the younger Tobin to be able to
leave Russia by the end of the week.

Tobin, 24, was arrested in January for marijuana possession, in
Voronezh, where he was studying political science at the local
university. The case attracted wide attention after an official of
the Federal Security Service, the main successor to the KGB, said
Tobin was believed to be a spy in training. The initial charges
against Tobin included allegations that he had operated a drug den
and had obtained marijuana as part of a criminal gang. Those charges
were later dropped.

He was sentenced to 37 months for possession, but a higher court
reduced that sentence to a year. Tobin became eligible for parole
after serving half that sentence.

President Bush raised the Tobin case with Russian President Vladimir
Putin during a meeting in July, and Maloney suggested Putin had
pushed for a prompt release. Tobin was freed the day after
authorities at the prison colony in the southern town of Rossosh
recommended the move. "I think that speaks very clearly of President
Putin's concern and help," Maloney said.

Tobin Sr. said he has met several times with his son at the embassy
and "it's good to see Jack without bars in front of his face."
Although his son was thin and pale, "A couple of weeks in North
America with his friends, his mother, with some home cooking will do
wonders." The elder Tobin has said that his son claimed the Russian
intelligence service tried to recruit him as an agent and that he
believed he was arrested because he had refused.

Asked about that contention on Monday, the father said "I think I'm
going to let Jack tell the story."

Since his release, Tobin has made no public comment. Maloney said he
does not plan to make any statement until he returns to the United
States.