senheiser
SENIOR MEMBER
- Joined
- Jun 26, 2012
- Messages
- 4,037
- Reaction score
- -1
- Country
- Location
Mother of jailed pilot threatens self-immolation if US does not return him to Russia
Published time: 8 Nov, 2016 13:35
Get short URL
Jailed Russian pilot Yaroshenko ‘abandons faith’ in US justice
Commercial aircraft pilot Konstantin Yaroshenko was sentenced to 20 years in jail in the United States in 2011, for allegedly participating in a conspiracy to smuggle drugs into the country. The charges against him, however, are based on the testimony of US agents who launched a sting operation against him. He was arrested in Liberia and was flown to the US without any official extradition procedure, despite protests from Russia over alleged violations of the diplomatic code.
The pilot himself has always maintained his innocence, and insisted from the very beginning that his case was not about drug trafficking. He says his poor command of English prevented him from understanding the nature of the suggestions made to him by undercover DEA agents.
Yaroshenko’s defense team has repeatedly stated that the whole scheme was organized by US special services in an attempt to extract evidence against Russian citizen Viktor Bout, owner of a transport company, who was also illegally extradited to the US and sentenced following a DEA sting operation.
The Russian citizen has repeatedly stated that the prison workers deny him medical service and keep him in conditions that threaten his deteriorating health, promising to stop as soon as he pleads guilty and testifies against Bout. He claims that his treatment is equivalent to torture.
In May, however, Yaroshenko told the press that he would no longer appeal to American courts, as he considered them biased and politicized, and did not expect justice.
https://www.rt.com/politics/365778-mother-of-jailed-russian-pilot/
Published time: 8 Nov, 2016 13:35
Get short URL
Jailed Russian pilot Yaroshenko ‘abandons faith’ in US justice
Commercial aircraft pilot Konstantin Yaroshenko was sentenced to 20 years in jail in the United States in 2011, for allegedly participating in a conspiracy to smuggle drugs into the country. The charges against him, however, are based on the testimony of US agents who launched a sting operation against him. He was arrested in Liberia and was flown to the US without any official extradition procedure, despite protests from Russia over alleged violations of the diplomatic code.
The pilot himself has always maintained his innocence, and insisted from the very beginning that his case was not about drug trafficking. He says his poor command of English prevented him from understanding the nature of the suggestions made to him by undercover DEA agents.
Yaroshenko’s defense team has repeatedly stated that the whole scheme was organized by US special services in an attempt to extract evidence against Russian citizen Viktor Bout, owner of a transport company, who was also illegally extradited to the US and sentenced following a DEA sting operation.
The Russian citizen has repeatedly stated that the prison workers deny him medical service and keep him in conditions that threaten his deteriorating health, promising to stop as soon as he pleads guilty and testifies against Bout. He claims that his treatment is equivalent to torture.
In May, however, Yaroshenko told the press that he would no longer appeal to American courts, as he considered them biased and politicized, and did not expect justice.
https://www.rt.com/politics/365778-mother-of-jailed-russian-pilot/
