Russian Media: Moscow Negotiating Return Of Russian Nationals Bout And Yaroshenko Jailed In US

A combined photo of Paul Whelan (left), Viktor Bout (center), and Konstantin Yaroshenko

TASS: Moscow negotiating return of Russian nationals Bout and Yaroshenko jailed in US

The ombudswoman said she held a video conference with Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights Dunja Mijatovic and raised this issue before her

MOSCOW, June 24. /TASS/. The issue of returning Russian nationals Viktor Bout and Konstantin Yaroshenko serving their prison terms in the United States is being discussed but the negotiating process is not yet over, Russia’s ombudswoman Tatiana Moskalkova said on Wednesday.

"The return of Yaroshenko and Bout [to Russia] is being discussed. The issue is being kept confidential as the negotiations have not been completed," she said.

Russia’s ombudswoman said she was in contact with Yaroshenko’s lawyer and his relatives. "They asked us not to give details because this issue is still up in the air," Moskalkova specified.

"We very much hope that this humanitarian mission will be carried through," the ombudswoman said.

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WNU Editor: This is not the first report from Russia on the possibility of a prisoner swap .... Report: Russia, U.S. Discussing Swapping American Whelan For Imprisoned Russians Bout, Yaroshenko (RFE).

Russian Media: Discussions Underway Between The US & Russia To Swap Paul Whelan For Viktor Bout & Konstantin Yaroshenko

(L) Paul Whelan © REUTERS/Tatyana Makeyeva; (R) Viktor Bout Wikipedia / public domain

RT: US & Russia discuss swapping Paul Whelan for Viktor Bout & Konstantin Yaroshenko - Interfax sources

Two days after he was convicted on spying charges and sentenced to 16 years in prison, Moscow news agency Interfax reports that Paul Whelan may be traded for two Russians jailed in the US. It cites “an informed source.”

The pair of Russians concerned are weapons dealer Victor Bout – serving 25 years – and pilot Konstantin Yaroshenko, who received a 20-year term. Interfax says it would be managed through presidential pardons.

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WNU Editor: As this blogger mentioned in his commentary three weeks ago, the Kremlin wants a swap .... Russian Prosecutors Seek A Long Jail Term For Ex-US Marine Accused Of Spying (May 25, 2020).

Viktor Bout Appeals His Trial In The U.S.

Photo: Viktor Bout

Bout's Defense Appeals His Trial In The United States -- RIA Novosti

Lawyers for alleged Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout, held in a U.S. prison on conspiracy charges, have lodged an appeal on the illegality of their client's prosecution in the United States.

The appeal claims, in particular, that the U.S. government does not have jurisdiction to consider criminal cases over the offences that have been committed outside the U.S.

The prosecutors must reply to the 50-page document, submitted on Monday, within two weeks.

Read more ....

Update #1: In NY, ex-Soviet officer claims US threatened him -- AP

Update #2: Bout's case is an "unprecedented precedent" -- Voice of Russia

My Comment: I will be surprised if his appeal is acted upon. He must know that his options are limited, and that the case against him will probably stand in a U.S. court of law. But I give him credit .... he is trying to get out.

"Merchant Of Death" Viktor Bout Closer To Being Extradited To The U.S.

Viktor Bout Extradition To US A Step Closer -- The Guardian

Alleged arms dealer may be in America by weekend after Thai court dismisses secondary charges against 'Merchant of Death'.

The man alleged to be the biggest illegal arms dealer in history faces trial in America, and could be in the US by the weekend after a Thai court ruling cleared the last legal hurdle to extradite him.

Russian Viktor Bout, nicknamed the "Merchant of Death" for his alleged arms smuggling network which spanned three continents and a decade, has been fighting US efforts to extradite him since he was arrested in a sting operation in a Bangkok hotel in 2008.

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More News On The "Merchant Of Death" Victor Bout

Thai Court Clears Way to Extradite Alleged Arms Dealer to US -- Voice of America
Thai court dismisses extra charges against Bout -- Reuters
Bout moves closer to extradition to US -- Financial Times
Thai court removes hurdle to extradition of Viktor Bout -- AFP
Russia won’t interfere in Bout trial in Thailand – Lavrov -- Itar Tass
Three Questions: Prosecuting the "Merchant of Death" -- Voice of America

Thai Court Stalls Bout Extradition (For Now)

Suspected Arms Dealer Seems Closer to Extradition -- New York Times

BANGKOK — A contentious, four-hour hearing on the extradition of Viktor Bout, a Russian suspected of being an arms dealer, ended inconclusively Monday, but judges appeared to quash the prospect of a lengthy second trial that could have delayed or scuttled Mr. Bout’s departure for the United States.

Mr. Bout, a Russian businessman whom United States officials accuse of running a vast network of arms trafficking spanning Africa, Afghanistan and beyond, faces charges of selling arms to a terrorist group and conspiring to kill American citizens with those weapons.

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More News On The "Merchant Of Death" Victor Bout

Thai Court Allows More Charges Against Russian Arms Dealer -- Voice of America
Thai court stalls U.S. bid to extradite Viktor Bout -- Reuters
Thai court stalls Bout extradition -- Al Jazeera
Thai court delays extradition of alleged Russian arms dealer -- RIA Novosti
Thai Court Delays Russian Arms Dealer's Extradition To US -- RTT News
'Merchant of Death' Viktor Bout extradition stalls -- BBC
Thai court delays Bout extradition -- Financial Times
'Merchant of Death' extradition stalled -- UPI
Cold-war theatre -- The Economist

Thai Court Considering 'Merchant Of Death' Release

From The Washington Times:

If Americans think we have problems with the recent disruption of a suspected terrorist cell in New York, they haven't seen anything yet.

An appellate court in Thailand appears primed to uphold a recent lower court ruling that will unleash Viktor Bout, universally known as the "Merchant of Death," back on the global community. To say that Bout is upset with the United States after spending more than a year in a Thai prison would be a gross understatement.

Read more ....

My Comment: His release will not surprise me. What is surprising to me is that he has spent the past year in jail .... I thought (for sure) that he was going to be released after one month.

But his release will not change anything. He is "used" goods now, and no one is going to do serious business with him.

Russian in Extradition Battle Says U.S. Agents Violated Law

Viktor Bout in Custody

From The New York Times:

BANGKOK — Viktor Bout, a Russian businessman suspected of arms trafficking who faces possible extradition to the United States, is pursuing what his lawyer calls a rare legal procedure that accuses American officials of overstepping their jurisdiction in a sting operation here last year.

The procedure could delay the extradition process and, if successful, result in criminal charges filed against three agents of the Drug Enforcement Administration who took part in Mr. Bout’s arrest, according to the lawyer, Chamroen Panompakakorn.

Mr. Chamroen said Monday that American agents had violated Thai law by apprehending Mr. Bout on their own before calling the Thai police to arrest him. They were also carrying firearms in violation of Thai law, he said.

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My Comment: The stories that this guy can tell .... it should be no surprise that everyone wants him.

Thailand Vows No Interference In Extradition Case

Alleged Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout walks back to the court cell at criminal court in Bangkok, Thailand after a hearing on extradition to the U.S. charge Wednesday, April 29, 2009. Thailand said Wednesday it will not interfere in the politically charged extradition hearing of an alleged Russian arms smuggler whom the United States wants to put on trial but Russia wants sent home. (AP Photo/Apichart Weerawong)

From Yahoo News/AP:

BANGKOK – Thailand said Wednesday that it will not interfere in the extradition hearing of an alleged Russian arms smuggler whom the United States wants to put on trial but Russia reportedly wants sent home.

A senior Foreign Ministry official was called to testify at the ongoing hearing of Viktor Bout, dubbed the "Merchant of Death," after the presiding judge said he wanted the ministry's input because relations with Washington and Moscow could be at risk.

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My Comment: Thailand is between a rock and a hard place .... both Russia and the U.S. want this arms merchant (but for different reasons). I still expect him to be extradited to the U.S., what happens with U.S. and Russian relations after that will be anyone's guess.

US-Russia Battle Heats Up Over Alleged Arms Dealer Victor Bout

Victor Bout

From PR-Inside:

BANGKOK (AP) - U.S. President George W. Bush's last meeting with the prime minister of Thailand was in August, a swan song moment before his departure. Yet he made time to bring up the issue of one man: Viktor Bout, also known as the Merchant of Death.
Bout, a Russian businessman who is thought to be the world's most notorious arms dealer, has been held in a Bangkok prison since he was arrested last March after a U.S.-Thai sting operation. The United States is desperate to extradite him for trial to New York, where he has been indicted for allegedly conspiring to sell millions of dollars worth of weapons to leftist rebels in Colombia.

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My Comment: Hat Tip To Counter Terrorism Blog for this story. Their archives on Victor Bout deserve to be read also. The link is HERE.

As for why Russia is so extensively involved ... the reason why is simple .... they are protecting their own.

The Life Story Of Victor Bout

Alleged Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout (centre)
has told a Thai court that he had been framed (AFP Photo)

'Merchant of Death' Claims: 'I Was Framed'
-- The Danger Room

Any contest for world's most (allegedly) evil man would have to include Viktor Bout, the (alleged) global arms dealer and so-called "Merchant of Death." After years eluding a worldwide manhunt -- and supplying weapons from everyone to the Taliban to Liberian dictator Charles Taylor (allegedly) -- Bout was finally captured in Thailand in March, as part of an American-lead sting operation. He testified for the first time today, fighting his extradition to the United States. His defense: "I was framed."

Bout claims he has no intention of using his fleet of cargo planes to deliver arms to the FARC, the Colombian guerrilla group. "I have never been to Colombia or the United States," Bout told the court.

Read more ....

More News On Victor Bout

Alleged arms smuggler Bout testifies in Thailand -- AP

Merchant of Death testifies in extradition hearing -- The Telegraph
Alleged Russian arms dealer tells Thai court he was framed -- AFP

Viktor Bout: secretive and successful 'Merchant of Death -- The Guardian

Arms suspect testifies in Bangkok -- BBC News

'Merchant of Death' arms dealer Viktor Bout faces court -- Times Online

Arresting The Merchants Of Death

Victor Bout

From The Belmont Club:

Victor Bout and Monzer al-Kassar: household names, if not in the land of the living, then among the houses of the soon to be dead: the victims of the world's Merchants of Death. Victor Bout was a notorious Russian arms dealer, doing business all over the world, who was arrested in a DEA sting operation in Thailand, where he remains. The Americans want him tried in New York. The Russians don't. The Sydney Morning Herald reports:

Bout was arrested in a sting operation initiated by the US Drug Enforcement Administration a few hours after he arrived in Bangkok. The agency says he came to Thailand to negotiate the sale of Igla surface-to-air missiles to two undercover agents posing as officers from the Colombian narco-rebel movement known as FARC.

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My Comment: Arms merchants have been with us for so long, they are considered a part of the international community. Adnan Khashoggi is probably the one that has been the most successful, but like the drug trade, when you get rid of one gang there will always be another one to replace them.