MOSCOW, November 3 (Itar-Tass) —— The Russian Foreign Ministry will continue efforts to defend the legitimate rights of Viktor Bout with the aim to achieve the main goal - to ensure Bout's return to the Motherland, spokesman for the Russian Foreign Ministry Alexander Lukashevich declared on Thursday.
“In connection with the verdict passed by the jury court at Bout's trial in New York we want once again to draw attention to the fact that the Russian citizen was extradited from Thailand under unprecedented pressure put by the U.S authorities,” the diplomat said. Lukashevich said it was absolutely inadmissible that during this operation, conducted with the participation of U.S. secret services, and later, during an investigation illegal measures were used to put Bout under physical and psychological pressure, which ran contrary to the existing international legal norms and the U.S. international obligations.
“Moscow has expressed indignation over a deliberatively negative presentation of the Bout's case under direct pressure from the U.S. executive authorities, which impeded an objective investigation into the facts. One cannot say it' s normal that Bout was kept in custody under unjustifiably cruel conditions obviously with the aim of making him cooperate with justice bodies,” the spokesman said.
“All these factors have called into question the very facts on which the prosecution was based, and, consequently, the justice of the court verdict to Viktor Bout,” the spokesman said.
"The Russian Foreign Ministry will continue to take all measures to defend Viktor Bout’s rights and interests as the Russian citizen. Our goal is to achieve that Bout returns to the Motherland," Lukashevich said.