U.S. Asks Russia to Detain Snowden
Posted on Sun Jun 23, 2013 at 11:48:00 PM EST
Tags: Edward Snowden, Konstantin Yaroshenko, Viktor Bout (all tags)
The U.S. has asked Russia to detain Edward Snowden and send him back to the U.S. This is rich (as in disingenuous):
"We now understand Mr. Snowden is on Russian soil. Given our intensified cooperation after the Boston marathon bombings and our history of working with Russia on law enforcement matters -- including returning numerous high level criminals back to Russia at the request of the Russian government -- we expect the Russian Government to look at all options available to expel Mr. Snowden back to the U.S. to face justice for the crimes with which he is charged."
Really? Let's take a look at the Bureau of Prisons website today:[More...]
Russian Pilot, Konstantin Yaroshenko(background here), who never had any intention of committing a crime in the U.S. but got sucked into an FBI sting in Africa, took him to the Ukraine to meet with FBI informants, where they subjected him to warrantless electronic surveillance, then flew him to Liberia to do a fake drug deal, whereupon the U.S. had the Liberians arrest him. After the Liberians had their fun torturing him for a few says, the DEA said "Buckle up, we're flying you to America to be detained for a few years, tried, convicted and sentenced to 20 years. There were no drugs. The drugs were going from South America to Africa to Europe. Some clever agent got the idea that if the informant yakked enough in a language Yaroshenko didn't understand, and included in his ramblings that he was going to send his profit to Ghana to put on a flight to the U.S., they could snare Yaroshenko. It was enough to survive a challenge on manufactured jurisdiction.
Yaroshenko maintains the Liberians broke his teeth and beat him and he has bladder pain and is in need of surgery. John Kerry, when in Russia a month or so ago, met with Russia's foreign minister and declined again to return him to Russia under the prisoner swap agreement. Kerry said hed' look into his medical issues. As of last week, Yaroshenko still hasn't gotten his surgery. He has a wife and daughter in Russia. Russia has made several requests that he and Bout be transferred to Russia to finish their sentences. The U.S. has said no.
Bout's story (background here)is even worse. He was the victim of a DEA sting in Thailand. The U.S. fought tooth and nail to extradite him and lost. The U.S. appealed (and likely pulled some strings, if the Wikileaks cables are any indication, and lo and behold, the higher court in Thailand approved his extradition. He spent a miserable two years at MCC in New York, was convicted and sentenced to 35 years which he is serving at the USP in Marion, IL., one of our SuperMax prisons. The U.S. claims he's a "Lord of War" and seller of arms. He never sold arms here. What business is it of ours? Why have a prisoner transfer treaty if you aren't going to use it? Did anyone ask the American taxpayers if they want to pay $40,000 a year times 25 years to warehouse Bout in a high security prison when Russia's willing to take him? Or $30,000 a year for 20 years to house Yaroshenko who's at Ft Dix?
The Russian Foreign Minister has been asking the U.S to return them so they can serve their sentences at home for over a year. The U.S. blew Russia off.
Interestingly, I'm not the only one who has come up with this idea. Bout's estranged brother did too. And Bout's lawyer slapped him down. Why? It is what Bout, his wife and child want.
Yaroshenko says he'd rather die by hanging than serve 20 years in a U.S. Prison where he is not getting adequate, if any, medical treatment and his family is in Russia. the lawyer's objection?
Any deal maker knows you got to bring bring something to get something. What's in for Russia to hand over Snowden?
I am not in favor of bringing Snowden back and don't like the idea of him being a chess piece in a game that no one involved seems to know how to play, but I would like to see the U.S. come to its senses and do the right thing by Yaroshenko and Bout. If Snowden's already left for Ecuador by the time it takes them to clear DOJ channels and get them renditioned back to Russia, then maybe it will have learned its lesson for next time. The U.S. gets no free lunch in Russia.
If I were the Russians, I'd let Snowden fly to Ecauador, while the U.S. is flying Bout and Yaroshenko to Russia, and when they got there and the Russians had control of its citizens, who had also committed no crime in Russia, Russia could tell the U.S., next time to have to get your act together faster. It shouldn't take 50 staff members at the DOJ, DEA and the White House more than 2 days to put this in motion. Had they moved a little faster and been a more conciliatory with the Russians, they might have had their man.
Russia, by the way, says it has no grounds to detain Snowden. Russia and the U.S. do not have an extradition treaty. They are both signatories to mutual aid agreement that has been in existence since the 1800's.
As for what we Americans can do, I'd start with a demand the DEA close its 86 foreign offices and either join with the CIA or the Pentagon. Their Global Holy Warrior mindset should make them get along in those agencies just fine.And it would save Americans a lot of money
The final solution: Let Snowden go to Ecuador, send Yaroshenko and and Bout to Russia as a sign of good faith, and the next time the U.S. needs a favor from Russia, maybe Russia will see it as a sign of respect and let the U.S. haveI the next guy.
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