International human rights
organizations should not only pay attention to Maria Butina’s case, but also
take all measures to protect her, Leonid Slutskiy
Leonid Eduardovich
said. “All that happening
with a Russian citizen arrested by the US authorities on far-fetched accusation
is no longer a violation, but a mockery of human rights,” the parliamentarian
believes.
He urged Amnesty International and other organizations to be objective and not to look for “victims abused by the authorities” only in Russia.
“It’s enough to look at the situation with Ms. Butina and understand that the United States authorities are currently engaged in politically motivated persecution,” Leonid Slutskiy stressed.
It is noted in the text of the letter sent to Kumi Naidoo that Russian citizen Maria Butina has been detained in a US prison for four months. The US Department of Justice accuses her of “infiltrating organizations having influence in American politics, for the purpose of advancing the interests of the Russian Federation.”
“US intelligence agencies claim that Maria Butina allegedly was engaged in mentioned above activities without being registered with the US Department of Justice as a “foreign agent.” We are witnessing an ongoing information campaign aimed at persuading American public opinion that Ms. Butina is connected with Russian intelligence,” the letter says. Charges were raised under title 18, sections 951 and 371 of the United States Code. “However, until today, the US authorities have not provided any conclusive evidence of Maria Butina’s guilt. In fact, the “corpus delicti” is that she communicated with American citizens. We find this frivolous and absurd,” the author of the letter stressed. Leonid Slutskiy called the accusations against Maria Butina biased and politically motivated.
The head of the Committee requests the Secretary General of Amnesty International to express an opinion on the following issues:
— Does Amnesty International consider the actions of US authorities in Maria Butina’s case as violations of human rights?
— Does Amnesty international exclude the possibility that Maria Butina is being politically motivated persecuted?
— What measures is Amnesty International ready to take to protect the rights of Maria Butina violated by the US authorities?
