WASHINGTON (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 10th September, 2018) A US Federal court will decide on Monday if Russian citizen Maria Butina, accused of acting as a foreign agent, can be released from prison for home detention until the end of the trial.
The hearing at the US District Court for the District of Columbia is scheduled to begin at 2:00 p.m. EST (1800 GMT) and will be chaired by Judge Tanya Chutkan.
Butina was arrested in Washington, DC in mid-July on suspicion of acting as an agent for a foreign government. She has denied the accusations. Now Butina, who faces up to 15 years in jail, is detained at a prison in the US city of Alexandria, Virginia.
On August 24, Butina's lawyer Robert Driscoll asked the court to change the preventive measure for his client to house arrest.
"Defendant Maria Butina requests that she can be released pending trial into the PSA High Intensity Supervision Program on a home detention basis with electronic monitoring," the document filed by Driscoll said.
As expected, the court also may limit parties' capabilities to make public statements with regard to the trial.
"In light of the Governments letter of August 23, 2018 and the courts discussion regarding statements to the media at the [July 25] status conference, the parties may file submissions setting forth reasons why the court should not enter an order pursuant to Local Rule 57.7, requiring all interested parties to refrain from making further statements to the media or in public settings that are substantially likely to have a materially prejudicial effect on the conduct of this case," the court document said.
On August 23 prosecutors warned Butina's lawyer that they may seek a gag order if he will not stop talking about the case in the media. They accused Driscoll of multiple violations of rules by making statements to the press. The lawyer asked a judge to deny this request.
Butina, 29, recently graduated from American University in Washington DC with a Master's Degree in International Relations.
However, in addition to being a student, Butina was a highly visible political activist. She became heavily involved in American politics including her strong support for the pro-gun rights movement and extreme conservative religious causes. The fact that a foreign national was directly interfering in American domestic politics to promote fringe controversial and polarizing positions that the majority of Americans do not embrace caught the attention of US authorities.
In 2013, according to media reports, the current White House national security adviser, John Bolton, participated in a roundtable discussion on gun rights that was organized by Butina and sponsored by her Russia-based organization known as Right to Bear Arms. Bolton, who was then the head of the National Rifle Association's (NRA) Subcommittee on International Affairs, even produced a video with Butina. Last month, US Congressional Democrats called on the White House to hand over all records documenting any ties between Bolton and Butina.
According to the Justice Department complaint, Butina also tried to establish connections via the National prayer Breakfast, which is primarily attended by far-right wing evangelicals and American Christian nationalists.
Russia has strongly criticized the US government for detaining Butina, and has characterized the charges against her as "clearly groundless." The Russian Foreign Ministry has called Butina's ongoing detention unacceptable. The Russian Embassy in the United States stressed that the young woman was experiencing psychological pressure in prison, including frequent nighttime checks, strip searches and denial of medical care.
