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Almost 100 Russians are incarcerated in US - Russian envoy

The envoy expressed hope that Russian citizens could return home either via amnesty or via the Council of Europe’s 1983 Convention on the Transfer of Sentenced Persons

MOSCOW, June 20. /TASS/. Around 100 Russians are currently incarcerated across the United States, Russian Ambassador to the US Anatoly Antonov said Saturday in an open interview with TASS First Deputy Director General Mikhail Gusman.

"Overall, around 100 Russian citizens are in US prisons. Under contrived pretexts, Russians are put in disciplinary cells, stripped of normal medical care, medicine, while their calls to family are restricted," he said.

The envoy expressed hope that Russian citizens could return home either via amnesty or via the Council of Europe’s 1983 Convention on the Transfer of Sentenced Persons. "We expect that US authorities will take into account the humanitarian side of the issue and the long terms that the Russians have already served. [Russian Foreign Minister] Sergey Lavrov often mentioned that in conversations with US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo," Antonov added.

The diplomat also underlined that it is concerning that third countries arrest Russians under Washington’s requests. "Since 2008, 53 such cases have been registered. We reject such actions of the US and condemn the ‘hunt’ of our citizens launched by the US," he pointed out.

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