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Request to return jailed Russian pilot from US may be submitted again in 2 years

Under the US regulations, a jailed person may file an appeal no earlier than in two years

Russian Justice Minister Alexander Konovalov ITAR-TASS/Mikhail Dzhaparidze

Russian Justice Minister Alexander Konovalov

© ITAR-TASS/Mikhail Dzhaparidze

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Lawyer: Doctors examine Konstantin Yaroshenko at US Fort Dix prison

MOSCOW, February 20. /ITAR-TASS/. A second request to hand over Russian pilot Konstantin Yaroshenko jailed in the United States to Russia could be sent to the US no earlier than in two years, and the Russian side could not appeal against the refusal to hand him over to Russia because of limited possibilities, Russian Justice Minister Alexander Konovalov told reporters on Thursday.

"Everything within our jurisdiction has been done. A request has been filed to hand him over. Regrettably, it has not been fulfilled," the minister said.

According to Konovalov, under the US regulations, a jailed person may file an appeal no earlier than in two years. Before the term, the appeal will fail.

So, currently the situation is being settled through diplomatic channels to provide medical care for Yaroshenko, Konovalov said, adding that there was no mechanism to appeal against the refusal to hand him over to Russia.

On September 10, the Russian Justice Ministry sent a request to the United States to extradite Konstantin Yaroshenko to the homeland in accordance with the convention singed by Russia and the United States on extradition of prisoners.

Yaroshenko's arrest

The Russian pilot was arrested in Liberia in May 2010 and secretly taken to the United States. According to US prosecutors, the Russian citizen with African accomplices allegedly joined a criminal conspiracy involving several countries to deal with a millions-dollar-worth batch of drugs to be smuggled from South America to Liberia and from there to other countries, including the United States.

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Russia insists on comprehensive medical examination of its jailed pilot – Lavrov

In April 2011, a jury found Yaroshenko guilty. The Russian citizen was sentenced to 20 years in prison.

Diplomats from the Russian Consulate in New York would visit pilot Yaroshenko in the prison on Thursday, the Russian Foreign Ministry's spokesman Alexander Lukashevich said.

The Foreign Ministry demands comprehensive examination and full treatment of the Russian citizen. "We also demand to provide access for a Russian delegation headed by the Foreign Ministry’s commissioner for human rights, democracy and the rule of law, Konstantin Dolgov, together with Russian medics," the diplomat said.

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