GENEVA, December 19. / TASS /. The extradition of Russian businessman Vladislav Klyushin by Switzerland to the US is yet another case of Washington’s ‘hunt’ for Russian citizens in third countries, press secretary of the Russian Embassy in Bern Vladimir Khokhlov told TASS on Sunday.
"We must note that we are dealing with yet another case of Washington’s ongoing ‘hunt’ for Russian citizens in third countries," Khokhlov noted.
"We are deeply saddened by the Swiss Federal Office of Justice’s decision and hasty extradition of Russian national Klyushin, who has been under arrest since March 21, 2021, on the US extradition request, on December 18," the press secretary stated.
"Thus, the Russian Embassy’s note transmitted on December 17 was ignored, as well as the appeal of the Russian citizen’s defense relating to the need to suspend the extradition as long as the European Court of Human Rights was considering the complaint filed on December 16," the press secretary of the Russian Embassy pointed out.
The Swiss authorities extradited Russian businessman Vladislav Klyushin to the US on Saturday. He was handed over in Zurich to American police officers who escorted him on a flight to the US, according to the Swiss Federal Office of Justice.
On Thursday, Klyushin’s lawyers sent a complaint to the European Court of Human Rights asking to suspend his extradition until the validity of the Swiss justice’s actions would be confirmed. In this regard, the Russian Embassy in Switzerland handed over a note to the Swiss Federal Office of Justice on Friday, stating that pending a relevant decision of the ECHR, all actions to enforce the sentence and extradition should be suspended.