Russian Ombudswoman Calls On US To Extradite Yaroshenko To Russia Due To Health Problems

Russian High Commissioner for Human Rights Tatiana Moskalkova has requested US Attorney General William Barr to extradite jailed Russian pilot Konstantin Yaroshenko from the United States, where he is serving his sentence, to Russia due to progressing deterioration of his health

MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 24th May, 2019) Russian High Commissioner for Human Rights Tatiana Moskalkova has requested US Attorney General William Barr to extradite jailed Russian pilot Konstantin Yaroshenko from the United States, where he is serving his sentence, to Russia due to progressing deterioration of his health.

Yaroshenko has repeatedly protested the conditions of his imprisonment, comparing them to torture and noting that his health has greatly deteriorated.

"I ask you to show good will and approve transferring Konstantin Yaroshenko to his motherland, taking into consideration the significant period of time that he has spent in prison and the progressing deterioration of his health.

In April of this year, he had a number of benign tumors removed during a stomach examination," Moskalkova's address to Barr, distributed by her press service on Friday, read.

Yaroshenko was captured in Liberia in 2010 and transferred to the United States without official extradition procedure, prompting protests from Russia. In 2011, a US court sentenced Yaroshenko to 20 years in prison for allegedly conspiring to smuggle drugs in the United States. In 2016, the New York Court of Appeals refused to revise the pilot's sentence.

On May 14, it was revealed that the US Department of Justice was considering Moscow's request on transferring Yaroshenko to Russia.