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Human rights commissioner hopes new US president will pardon Russian prisoners

The ombudsperson recalled that Russian President Vladimir Putin had repeatedly pardoned foreign citizens

MOSCOW, December 10. /TASS/. Russia's Human Rights Commissioner Tatyana Moskalkova expressed hope that the new US president will exercise his right to pardon Russian citizens jailed in the United States.

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"I hope, regardless of who the new US president will be, that he will use his right to pardon Russian citizens who are behind bars in the US," Moskalkova said in an interview with the Rossiya-24 TV channel on Thursday.

The human rights commissioner recalled that Russian President Vladimir Putin had repeatedly pardoned foreign citizens. "This is a good example of humanism and bringing the two nations closer to each other," Moskalkova stressed.

According to the relatives and lawyers of Konstantin Yaroshenko, Viktor Bout, and other Russians jailed in the US, the conditions in the US prisons are "terrible," she noted. For example, Yaroshenko could not meet with his wife and daughter for more than nine years.

The US presidential election was held on November 3. Major US media outlets project that the Democratic contender Joe Biden has presumptively won the presidential election, securing over 270 electoral votes. Incumbent US President Donald Trump is challenging the current outcome, claiming irregularities in the ballot processing in key swing states, and has filed lawsuits to fight his case in court. The US General Services Administration acknowledged Biden’s win, formally informing him that they were ready to transfer the budget funds required to begin the transition process in the run-up to his inauguration. The inauguration ceremony is planned for January 20.

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