We were surprised by the news that foreign police detained Yevgeny Gerasimenko, who was the subject of an international arrest warrant issued by the Russian Federation, at Prague's Václav Havel Airport on Sunday, January 7. Gerasimenko was travelling from the Latvian capital Riga via Prague to Paris. In France, he intended to apply for political asylum. While Latvia allowed him to travel without any problems, he was arrested and imprisoned in Prague.
In his own words, Yevgeny Gerasimenko is being persecuted in Russia for his views and opposition to Russia's war of aggression against Ukraine. The Russian Federation has issued an international arrest warrant for him for alleged serious economic offences. It is a well-known fact that Moscow abuses the institution of arrest warrants to persecute opponents of its views. To put it bluntly, in many cases, Russian international arrest warrants are falsified so that Russia can get back at opponents of the Putin regime and try them for fabricated acts. This is a common Kremlin tactic.
For these reasons, therefore, most European countries do not react to Russian international arrest warrants. We are all the more sorry that the Czech police arrested and imprisoned Mr Gerasimenko. We consider this to be unjust and demand his immediate release from custody and the possibility of his travelling to the French capital.
There is also another very compelling argument against his extradition. He cannot be given a fair trial in the Russian Federation, and the Czech Republic cannot extradite people to countries where the judiciary is not independent, but is subservient to the government.
For Free Russians
Chairman Vitaly Ginzburg
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