RIGA, July 6. /TASS/. Russian national Yury Martyshev was detained in Latvia at the request of the US Department of Justice and later extradited by the decision of the Latvian prosecutor general, a source in the Russian Embassy in Latvia informed TASS on Thursday.
"The embassy has obtained information that Yury Martyshev had been detained following a request from the Office of International Affairs of the US Department of Justice Criminal Division. The Russian citizen is charged with committing cyber crimes under US law," the source said.
Martyshev was detained at the request of the US on April 26 at 05:00 (coincides with Moscow Time) at the Zilupe border crossing point, and the Latvian State Police informed the Russian Embassy’s Consular Department about that on April 27.
"On June 28, Martyshev was extradited from Latvia to the United States in accordance with the extradition order issued by Latvia’s prosecutor general," the source in the embassy said.
"The embassy joined efforts to resolve the issue immediately after receiving information about his detention. Consular department employees met with Martyshev on several occasions. They provided him assistance in finding a defense attorney, counselling and issuing necessary documents," the source told a TASS correspondent.
Martyshev’s whereabouts
A source in the Russian Embassy in the US earlier informed TASS that Russian national Yury Martyshev extradited to the US by the Latvian authorities is currently in a US prison in Alexandria, Virginia. The act of indictment of the Alexandria General District Court, which TASS got access to, says that Martyshev acted together with Ruslan Bondar who, just like Martyshev, was arrested in Latvia and extradited to the US. They are charged with criminal conspiracy, fraud and the hacking of computers with a view to causing damage.
The Russian diplomats noted that "they see this arrest as another instance of kidnapping a Russian citizen by the US authorities in violation of the bilateral agreement on mutual legal assistance in criminal matters."
They assured that Martyshev born in 1982 had been provided with "consular and other assistance." A telephone conversation with him has been held, and a visit to the prison he has been put in is planned soon. In addition to that, the embassy’s staff members are in contact with the Russian citizen’s relatives. Martyshev was brought to the US last week.
Latvia’s law enforcement agencies declined to comment on the situation with Martyshev’s extradition while talking to a TASS correspondent.