Russian embassy requests urgent medical aid for Yaroshenko, jailed in U.S., due to drastic deterioration of health
WASHINGTON. Feb 27 (Interfax) - The Russian embassy in Washington has asked the U.S. authorities to provide urgent medical aid to Russian citizen Konstantin Yaroshenko, who is serving a sentence in the U.S., due to the "drastic deterioration" of his health.
"In connection with the drastic deterioration in the health of Konstantin Yaroshenko we addressed the U.S. authorities with the request for urgent medical assistance," the embassy said in a press release.
Russian diplomats expect that Yaroshenko "will receive the necessary examination and the treatment will be prescribed immediately."
"This is a direct responsibility of the American authorities. For a long time in prison, the health of the Russian citizen has seriously suffered," it said.
Embassy diplomats will visit Yaroshenko in prison shortly, it said.
In late November, Antonov addressed international human rights organizations to provide aid to Yaroshenko.
"Your organizations are well-known for its noble mission to defend and preserve human rights. We urge you to review Mr. Yaroshenko's case and provide any assistance for his medical and legal issues," Antonov said in the letter.
Yaroshenko "suffers from numerous medical and dental problems, including post-traumatic mental health issues caused by the abuse, solitary confinement and the circumstances of his extraordinary rendition into this country," the ambassador said.
Antonov addressed his letter to organizations such as Amnesty International USA, Equal Justice Initiative, Human Rights Watch, The Marshall Project, ACLU National Prison Project, The Sentencing Project, Southern Poverty Law Center and World Justice Project.
Russian pilot Konstantin Yaroshenko was arrested in Liberia in 2010 on counts of plotting transportation of a large batch of cocaine. He was deported to the U.S. and sentenced to 20 years in prison in September 2011.
Yaroshenko spent several years in the Fort Dix prison, but was transferred in the middle of June 2018, presumably because of a brawl with another inmate. He is currently serving time in the Danbury penitentiary in Connecticut.
In spring 2019, Moscow asked the U.S. to transfer the convict to Russia. Moscow has repeatedly tried to get Yaroshenko home on the basis of the Strasbourg Convention on the Transfer of Sentenced Persons, but the U.S. Department of Justice keeps declining its requests.