Kotelnikov, Artemiy Nikolayevich

     President of International Bar "St. Petersburg".
    Born in 1923 in Astrakhan, Russia. Gentleman by birth, he comes from the family of lawyers. One of his ancestors was the secretary of Astrakhan provincial court. His great grandfather was marshal of the nobility of Astrakhan province and was decorated with St. Vladimir and St. Anna Orders, the most honourable decorations in pre-revolutionary Russia. Artemiy Nzarovich Kotelnikov - Mr. Kotelnikov's grandfather - was the editor of St. Petersburg newspaper "Nasha Zhizn" (Our Life) and other periodicals. In 1905, the paper published the Manifesto of Workers' Deputies Council and articles written by the famous Russian writer Kuprin about the suppression of the revolt in Ochakov cruiser. Twice he was put on trial for his publishing activity. Nikolay Artemievich Kotelnikov - Mr. Kotelnikov's father - graduated from Moscow University in 1917 and worked as a lawyer and journalist.
    After secondary school Artemiy Kotelnikov joined an artillery school in Penza and graduated from it in 1943. During the World War II he served as an officer in Voronezh and the First Ukrainian fronts and was decorated with the Order of War and several medals including "For the occupation of Berlin". After the war, he served in the army for three years. In 1948, Kotelnikov simultaneously joined two departments of the Leningrad University - the department of political economy and law. He started his practice in 1952 in prosecutor's office as the public prosecutor of Chukotka region. In 1956 Kotelnikov returned to Leningrad (now St. Petersburg) to work as legal adviser. In 1965 he joined the Bar. He defended dissidents and Soviet people's rights. In 1970, he was arrested on "local political reasons, provoked and faked charges". The actual reason was his activity to protect the rights of citizens. However, he was charged with taking bribes (Article 173 of Criminal Code) and accused of giving bribes (Article 174).
    He served his sentence for three years and was rehabilitated upon the protest of the Chairman of Supreme Court Lebedev. Upon discharge he worked as medical legal adviser. Artemiy Kotelnikov helped hundreds of Soviet citizens to leave the USSR. In 1988, he organized the first legal private company in the USSR "Partnership of Lawyers". Foundation documents were filed May 26, 1988, the first day when the Law on Cooperation Activity in the USSR took its effect.
    He was the advisor of many Supreme Soviet deputies, including Boldyrev, Starovoytova, Salie. Currently he assists the deputy of State Duma, the member of Committee for legislation and legal reform, Popov.
    In 1990, together with Ilyin he organized Leningrad Joint Bar, the first in the USSR and Russia independent Bar. Kotelnikov worked as Deputy Chairman of the Bar.
    In 1993 he founded the International Bar "St. Petersburg" jointly with a large group of lawyers from Estonia. He was elected its President. For the six years of the Bar's activity its membership increased twenty times. Currently the Bar unites 1,800 lawyers including five State Duma deputies and one Federation Council member.
    Artemiy Kotelnikov is decorated with the golden medal named after Plevako for his "contribution in the development of the Bar and promotion of legal activity" and is awarded the title "Honourable Lawyer". Kotelnikov is a member of the Executive Committee of Russian Bar.

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