Russia asks Council of Europe to deal with Vinnik’s extradition to France

Russian human rights activists intend to seek the return of Vinnik to Russia, considering his extradition from Greeceto France illegal. The Russian branch of the International Committee for the Defense of Human Rights demands to check the legality of this decision.

In their appeal, human rights activists also asked the High Commissioner to visit Vinnik in a pre-trial detention center, noting that the state of health of their client is worrying after a month of hunger strike.

In a statement, the Russian side also pointed toviolation of the rights of the accused’s family and deprivation of his visits with family members. This is especially important against the background of a serious illness of Vinnik’s wife and the presence of two minor children. According to the Russian side, as long as Vinnik’s guilt is not proven, he cannot be deprived of the opportunity to see family members.

This position was also supported by the representative of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation, Maria Zakharova, saying that she was ready to facilitate the extradition of Vinnik to his homeland.

The founder of the BTC-e cryptocurrency exchange is suspectedin money laundering and extortion through a crypto trading platform. The United States is accusing him of currency speculation worth $4 billion. Russia suspects Vinnik of major fraud. 

The Prosecutor General of Russia has repeatedlyfiled demands for the extradition of the suspected country to his citizenship. However, these requests were ignored by the Greek judicial system, and on January 23 the suspect was extradited to France. On January 28, a French court decided to leave Vinnik in custody.