Russian MFA: The US does not want to exchange prisoners Bout and Yaroshenko
The Russian Foreign Ministry Commissioner for Human Rights, Democracy and the Rule of Law, Konstantin Dolgov, stated that the USA has no desire to exchange Russian convicts Viktor Bout and Konstantin Yaroshenko.
According to Dolgov, whatever the outcome, Russia will continue to work towards protecting protect Bout’s and Yaroshenko’s legal rights. “We have not yet seen any clear, genuine indications of American authorities’ wiliness to probe deeply into the matter,” Ria Novosti quotes him as saying.
Earlier, Russian Minister of Justice Alexander Konovalov stated that U.S. authorities dismissed the application for extradition on the grounds that Bout and Yaroshenko pose a particular threat to American Justice. Under U.S. law, a second application will be possible in two years.
Russian pilot Yaroshenko was sentenced to 20 years in jail in the United States on September 7, 2011 for conspiracy to transport illegal drugs. Viktor Bout has been serving a 25-year sentence in American prison for trying to sell heavy weapons to Colombian radical organization FARC.