Amnesty International's Russian branch did not deal with the case of alleged Russian cybercriminal Alexander Vinnik, who was detained in Greece in 2017, and did not receive any of his appeals, the group's Media Manager for Eastern Europe and Central Asia Alexander Artemyev told Sputnik on Friday
PARIS (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 17th January, 2020) Amnesty International's Russian branch did not deal with the case of alleged Russian cybercriminal Alexander Vinnik, who was detained in Greece in 2017, and did not receive any of his appeals, the group's Media Manager for Eastern Europe and Central Asia Alexander Artemyev told Sputnik on Friday.
Vinnik has been jailed in Athens' Korydallos prison, infamous for its bad treatment of detainees, since July 2017 at the request of the US, accusing him of breaking US law by setting up a cryptocurrency network through which he allegedly funneled large sums of money.
The Russian national has previously complained of psychological torture, which pushed him to announce a hunger strike last December. His lawyer Timofey Musatov told Sputnik on Thursday that Vinnik has lost 37 Pounds since his hunger strike began.
"We did not deal with the case of Alexander Vinnik and did not receive any appeals from him. As soon as we have his appeal and accompanying materials, we will be able to look at the circumstances of the case and decide whether we can take it up. So far, unfortunately, we cannot say anything else," Amnesty International's Artemyev said.
Amnesty International, along with other prominent international human rights groups, has repeatedly voiced its concerns about the Korydallos jail over its overcrowding, torture as well as lack of hygiene and urged the Greek government to take appropriate measures.
Vinnik was arrested over two and a half years ago when in Greece on vacation with his wife and two children. The US authorities accused him of laundering $4 billion worth of funds through the cryptocurrency trading platform, BTC-E.
Russia, where he is wanted for a separate fraud charge, and France also seek his extradition. Vinnik has denied committing any criminal or administrative crimes.
In early November, Moscow provided Athens with additional materials related to the case. Following talks with his Greek counterpart, Nikos Dendias, acting Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said that the only country Vinnik could be extradited to was Russia.
