Moscow demands that the United States terminate the unjustified criminal proceedings against Russian national Maria Butina, jailed in a US prison on suspicion of being a spy, and ensure her early return to Russia, Alexander Lukashevich, the Russian permanent representative to the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE), said on Friday.
VIENNA (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 31st August, 2018) Moscow demands that the United States terminate the unjustified criminal proceedings against Russian national Maria Butina, jailed in a US prison on suspicion of being a spy, and ensure her early return to Russia, Alexander Lukashevich, the Russian permanent representative to the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE), said on Friday.
According to Lukashevich, Butina is being treated as a dangerous criminal and subjected to "brutal psychological pressure."
"We demand from #US authority to render immediately adequate medical aid to #MariaButina, stop ungrounded criminal prosecution against her and ensure her quick and safe return to Russia #FreeMariaButina," Lukashevich was quoted as saying on the Russian OSCE Mission Twitter blog.
In mid-July, Butina was detained in the United States on suspicion of espionage. She faces up to 15 years of imprisonment. During court hearings, Butina pleaded not guilty, but the judge nevertheless decided to arrest the Russian national. The next hearing of Butina's case is scheduled for September 10.
Earlier in August, Russian diplomats visited Butina in prison in the US city of Alexandria, to which she was transferred from a Washington prison on August 17. They condemned Butina's abrupt transfer, which was not explained by the US authorities, and was accompanied by the seizure of Butina's personal belongings and a strip search.
