Russian Ombudswoman Urges US Prison Authorities To Humanize Butina's Detention Conditions

Russian Human Rights Commissioner Tatiana Moskalkova called on Acting Director of the US Bureau of Prisons Hugh Hurwitz on Thursday to humanize the prison conditions in which Russian national Maria Butina is being kept and provide her with all necessary medical treatment amid claims that she has been subject to cruel treatment.

MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 29th November, 2018) Russian Human Rights Commissioner Tatiana Moskalkova called on Acting Director of the US Bureau of Prisons Hugh Hurwitz on Thursday to humanize the prison conditions in which Russian national Maria Butina is being kept and provide her with all necessary medical treatment amid claims that she has been subject to cruel treatment.

On Wednesday, Butina's father appealed to Russian President Vladimir Putin in a letter asking him to intervene in the situation given the "torture" his daughter had experienced while in custody, including sleep deprivation, humiliating strip searches, lengthy solitary confinement and denied medical care. The Russian Embassy in the United States said that same day that Butina had spent 67 days in an individual cell, which exceeded the limit recommended by the so-called Nelson Mandela Rules for the treatment of prisoners.

"I ask you, Mr. Hurwitz, to check the validity, legality and fairness of using such harsh measures against Maria Butina and take measures in order to humanize the conditions of detention of the Russian citizen as much as possible and provide her with the necessary medical care," the Russian ombudswoman said in a message to the acting director, published on Moskalkova's official website.

According to Moskalkova, Butina has been facing brutal treatment, which has seriously damaged her health, even though this was her first time in a penitentiary and she was not being charged with any violent crime.

"I consider it an important positive trend that the executives of the Federal Bureau of Prisons of the US Department of Justice always promptly respond to my messages as the human rights commissioner in the Russian Federation ... I hope for an objective approach and a positive decision," Moskalkova added.

Butina was arrested in Washington, DC in mid-July on suspicion of acting as an agent for a foreign government. The young woman currently remains in custody in the US city of Alexandria in Virginia and faces up to 15 years in prison if found guilty. Butina has denied the charges.

Russian authorities have slammed the US government for Butina's arrest, insisting that the charges were groundless. The Russian Foreign Ministry has called Butina's ongoing detention unacceptable and called the accusations trumped-up.