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Russia to continue work with new US administration to return Viktor Bout — diplomat

A court in New York ruled on November 21 against holding a new process to review Viktor Bout’s case

MOSCOW, November 21. /TASS/. Russia will continue to work with both the incumbent and the new U.S. administration to have Viktor Bout, a Russian national serving a 25-year prison term in the United States, extradited to Russia, a senior official at the Russian foreign ministry told TASS on Monday.

Commenting on ruling by the Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit in New York against reviewing Bout’s case, Konstantin Dolgov, the Russian foreign ministry’s envoy for human rights, democracy and the supremacy of law, said this ruling "causes regret and demonstrates the politicized nature of this case and biasedness of the American authorities in respect of the Russian citizen."

"The situation with violations of the rights of our citizen is extremely unvaforable and unacceptable," he said.

The Russian diplomat pledged the Russian side will continue to work with the incumbent administration to ensure "observance of the rights of the Russian national and his swift return to the homeland."

"We will work with the Obama administration despite the fact that the situation with violations of the rights of Russian citizens has dramatically deteriorated under it, with arrests of our citizens in third countries becoming a generally used practice," he said. "Until January 20, we will go on working with the current administration, and, naturally, we will continue to work on this priority matter with the Trumpt administration as well."

Russian diplomats, according to Dolgov, continue to offer legal and moral support to Viktor Bout. "Let us wait and see what Bout and his lawyers opt for further on. There are a number of legal options for his extradition to Russia, so, if suitable legal environment is in place and if his lawyers opt for such tactic, we will offer all-round support," he said, adding that so far the U.S. authorities "have demonstrated no political will for that."

The Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit in New York ruled on Monday against holding a new process to review Bout’s case.