Russia's High Commissioner for Human Rights Tatiana Moskalkova on Friday appealed to her Greek counterpart Andreas Pottakis to verify the compliance of Russian national Alexander Vinnik's detention conditions in Athens with human rights standards
MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 17th January, 2020) Russia's High Commissioner for Human Rights Tatiana Moskalkova on Friday appealed to her Greek counterpart Andreas Pottakis to verify the compliance of Russian national Alexander Vinnik's detention conditions in Athens with human rights standards.
Vinnik has been jailed in Greece since July 2017 at US request, accusing him of breaking US law by setting up a cryptocurrency network through which he allegedly funneled large sums of money.
Vinnik denies all charges and has previously complained of psychological torture, which pushed him to announce a hunger strike last December. His lawyer Timofey Musatov told Sputnik that Vinnik has lost 37 Pounds since his hunger strike began.
"According to media reports, Alexander Vinnik has been on a hunger strike for 28 days, his right to a daily walk is being violated. There are reports of problems with the prison authorities fulfilling the prisoner's right to legal assistance in isolation. Under all these circumstances, the psychological and physical condition of Vinnik is critical. In this regard, dear Mr. Pottakis, I urge you to provide assistance in overseeing the observance of the rights of the Russian citizen Vinnik's is critical," the Russian ombudswoman said in a statement.
Vinnik was arrested over two and a half years ago when in Greece on family vacation. He denies being the mastermind behind BTC-e, the company which US authorities claim has laundered billions of Dollars through Bitcoin.
