MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 29th April, 2020) Moscow has urged Washington to release Bogdana Osipova and Konstantin Yaroshenko, currently incarcerated in the US jail system, and all Russian citizens imprisoned or under investigation on humanitarian grounds due to the prevalence of COVID-19 in US penitentiaries, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said on Wednesday.
"We anxiously examined the information that there was a Russian citizen, Bogdana Osipova, at the Danbury jail in the US where the coronavirus disease has been diagnosed in prisoners. We immediately contacted our compatriot through the relevant channels and received an update. At present, her health is good," Zakharova said at a press briefing.
The Russian Embassy in Washington has contacted the US State Department, demanding that Osipova receive a full medical examination to determine her health status and to identify any underlying conditions, the spokeswoman said.
She added that Moscow will continue to demand the release of all Russian prisoners detained in the US as the COVID-19 outbreak continues to spread.
"Danbury, where the Russian pilot Konstantin Yaroshenko is also detained, is facing a critical situation amid the continued growth in the number of cases in the US. A large-scale outbreak among prisoners could occur at any time. We ask the US for information regarding their status daily and once again, we urge the authorities to release Bogdana Osipova and, of course, Konstantin Yaroshenko, as well as all Russians who are currently under investigation in the country or are sentenced to jail terms," Zakharova said.
As of Tuesday, the US Federal Bureau of Prisons has confirmed 1,313 positive tests for COVID-19 among inmates and 335 cases among prison staff. The coronavirus death toll among the incarcerated population in the US currently stands at 30, including, according to media reports, a woman who gave birth while on a ventilator.
In total, 17 prisoners and 26 staff at the Danbury federal correctional institution have contracted the disease, according to the bureau.
