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UN to monitor Russian archaeologist’s trial in Ukraine, if Poland extradites him

UN Human Rights spokesperson Jeremy Laurence noted that the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights does not monitor court proceedings in Poland

GENEVA, April 14. /TASS/. The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) will keep a close eye on the trial of Russian archaeologist Alexander Butyagin, who was arrested in Poland and is wanted by Kiev, if he is extradited to Ukraine, UN Human Rights spokesperson Jeremy Laurence said.

"With regards to the extradition request of Alexander Butyagin, we do not monitor court proceedings in Poland. However, if Polish authorities do extradite Butyagin to Ukraine, we would monitor any court proceedings for their compliance with international human rights standards," he told TASS.

Alexander Burtyagin, who heads the North Black Sea region sector at the Ancient World department of the world-famous Hermitage Museum in St. Petersburg and heads the museum’s Kerch expedition, was detained in Poland on December 4, when he was on his way from the Netherlands to the Balkans. A court in Warsaw ruled to place him in custody, which has been extended until June 1. According to the Polish prosecutor’s office, which received an extradition request from Kiev for Butyagin, he could face up to ten years in prison in Ukraine. A Warsaw court of the first instance ruled to extradite him to Ukraine. His lawyers, however, plan to challenge this verdict.

In November 2024, Ukraine’s authorities brought charges in absentia against a Russian archaeologist for engaging in allegedly illegal excavations in Crimea. Although his name was not announced publicly, the Ukrainian media said that it was Butyagin.

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