MOSCOW, August 17. /TASS/. The United States’ practice of hunting down and seizing Russians from third countries is absolutely unacceptable and Russia is not going to tolerate it, the Foreign Ministry’s Commissioner for Human Rights, Democracy and Rule of Law, Konstantin Dolgov, said on the Rossiya-24 round-the-clock television news channel.
"If there is some suspicion, if there is tangible evidence our citizens have violated some rules or US laws or international norms, for this there is the 1999 US-Russian Mutual Legal Assistance Treaty," he declared. "It should be put to use and the Russian authorities concerned should be given the corresponding information. They are fully prepared for cooperate and interact."
Dolgov believes that any problems can be resolved based on the dialog.
"But hunting for our citizens, snatching them from third countries and shipping them off to the United States like parcels, and arranging politicized show trials, as it happened in a number of cases, for instance with Viktor Bout and Konstantin Yaroshenko, is absolutely unacceptable," Mr. Dolgov asserted. "We will not put up with this. We will vigorously press for an end to this practice and raise these issues among all international organizations concerned."
The commissioner also mentioned reports that Russian citizen Roman Seleznyov, who was kidnapped by US secret services in the summer of 2014 and accused of cybercrime in the United States, had mounting health problems.
"If this is really so, he should be given all medical assistance he needs," Mr. Dolgov demanded.
Russian diplomats are paying persistent attention to the Seleznyov affair, the official noted.
"We support Seleznyov’s lawyers in their work. Our consulate-general has been keeping a close eye on this case. Our consular officials have repeatedly met with Seleznyov and he enjoys consular support," Dolgov noted.
US secret service agents detained Seleznyov, 31, at the international airport of the Republic of Maldives on July 5, 2014. On the same day he was extradited to the island of Guam, an unincorporated territory of the United States. Guam’s district court refused to release the Russian and handed down a decision to deport him to Seattle.