MOSCOW, August 20. /TASS/. Russian ombudsperson Tatiana Moskalkova stated that treatment of Russian citizen Maria Butina, arrested in the US, is "inhumane and degrading", the ombudsperson’s website informed on Monday.
"I would like to express my utmost concern at the actions of US prison authorities during the transfer of Russian citizen Maria Butina from Washington to Alexandria (Virginia State) prison. <…> There are clear signs of cruel, inhumane and degrading treatment, punishment by the US government and violation of the rules of international law," the message states.
According to Moskalkova, Maria Butina "was subjected to a degrading inspection, made to undress, transferred in chains without warning or explanation, placed into quarantine, where she spent 12 hours with no food or light, and now she is in solitary confinement." Moreover, the authorities confiscated Butina’s personal belongings, books and personal hygiene products.
"In this regard, I ask the global human rights community to evaluate the treatment of convicts in the USA and urge the US government to humanize the conditions of imprisonment for Russian citizen Maria Butina," Moskalkova stated.
Butina case
Russian citizen Maria Butina, 29, was arrested in Washington DC on July 15.
According to the US Department of Justice, she is suspected of acting "as an agent of Russia inside the United States by developing relationships with US persons and infiltrating organizations having influence in American politics, for the purpose of advancing the interests of the Russian Federation." The next court hearing in Butina’s case is scheduled for September 10.
Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said that Moscow considered Washington’s charges against Butina to be groundless and politically motivated. According to her, Russia has been doing everything possible to protect the woman’s legitimate rights and interests.
