April 28 (Reuters) – A Russian pilot who returned to Moscow from america this week as a part of a prisoner swap stated on Thursday he had been tortured in custody in Liberia earlier than his extradition to America.
Konstantin Yaroshenko additionally alleged he had been crushed at a navy base in america, a declare rejected by the White Home.
Yaroshenko was detained in 2010 in Liberia by U.S. particular forces as a part of a serious drug bust. U.S. authorities then convicted him for conspiracy to smuggle cocaine into america and he was serving a 20-year sentence.
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He was launched in alternate for former U.S. Marine Trevor Reed, who was convicted in Russia in 2019 of endangering the lives of two cops whereas drunk on a go to to Moscow. Washington branded Reed’s trial a “theater of the absurd”. learn extra
Of his time in Liberia, Yaroshenko stated: “They actually labored on me. In the event you noticed that torture room now — it is not for the faint of coronary heart. It is like one thing from a horror film.”
He didn’t say whether or not the alleged torture had been carried out by Liberians or Individuals.
A Liberian authorities spokesperson didn’t reply to calls on Thursday requesting remark.
Flanked by his spouse and daughter within the tv studio of Russian media agency Izvestia, Yaroshenko stated he was sat on a chair together with his arms shackled and crushed for 3 days.
“Heels, kidneys, genitals, strangled — consider me, all the pieces there was severe… In fact, to outlive that was very laborious,” he stated.
Yaroshenko stated he was then flown to a navy base in america, requested to signal some paperwork and crushed when he refused.
Responding to his feedback, a White Home official stated Yaroshenko had acquired “full and truthful due course of within the U.S. authorized system… america Authorities adheres to the rule of regulation and treats detainees humanely.”
Yaroshenko stated the U.S. jail the place he was held was overcrowded and unsanitary, including that he supposed to show his innocence and his mistreatment. “I need to maintain the U.S. to account,” he stated.
U.S. officers say the prisoner swap doesn’t signify any change in Washington’s stance on the struggle in Ukraine. It has been offering diplomatic and navy help to Ukraine since Russian forces invaded the nation on Feb. 24.
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Reporting by Reuters
Enhancing by Gareth Jones
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