Russia slams US ‘double standards’ over extradition policy
Russian officials have slammed US ‘double standards’ over routinely disregarding Moscow’s extradition requests of suspected terrorists and criminals. ● Representatives from Russia’s Ministry of Interior and the prosecutor general’s office issued separate statements on Monday criticizing the United States for long rejecting the Kremlin’s extradition requests, while pressing for the repatriation of NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden. ● Washington has refused repeated extradition requests on about 20 Russian suspects over the last 10 years, including those for Ilyas Akhmadov, a former leader of the Chechen movement, and Tamaz Nalbandov, who is accused of kidnapping and extortion, said Andrey Pilipchuk, a spokesman for the Interior Ministry. ● Meanwhile, US President Barack Obama called his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin to convince him to extradite Snowden, but Putin has so far refused the request and said Washington has trapped the former spy agency contractor in Moscow.