03.11, 12:51 Moscow has harshly criticized a US court’s guilty verdict in the Viktor Bout case and vowed to secure the former Soviet military officer’s return to Russia.
Viktor Bout case 02.11, 22:14 A New York jury has convicted Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout of trying to sell heavy weapons to a Colombian terror group. He could face from 25 years to life in prison.
Viktor Bout case
31.10, 22:49 A New York court has postponed issuing a final verdict in the case of Russian businessman Viktor Bout, who is accused of international arms trafficking. The jury is expected to deliver a verdict on Tuesday.
Viktor Bout case 11.10, 21:32 The trial of Russian businessmen Viktor Bout, an alleged international arms dealer who stands accused of trafficking weapons to terrorists, has started in New York. But Bout’s family as well as experts doubt the trial will be fair.
Viktor Bout case
25.08, 15:23 The prosecution’s position in the case of Viktor Bout, who is standing trial in the US for alleged weapons trafficking, has sustained a serious blow after the judge ruled that statements Bout made before his arrival in the US be suppressed.
Viktor Bout case //Published: 03 November, 2011, 18:31
Edited: 03 November, 2011, 22:22
To include this chart in your web page, paste the following HTML tag into your web page HTML: TAGS: Crime, Scandal, Russia, Human rights, Law, Corruption, USA, Bill Dod
Not giving up – convicted Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout’s family are determined to continue fighting for justice until they see him out of prison. Russian authorities promise to back them.
Bout’s wife Alla was not in attendance in the court when his verdict was announced. After three weeks of hearings, and four years of separation from husband she did not want to be seen in a vulnerable state.
She was, however, awaiting the news right outside the courthouse.
“I didn't want to be seen openly weeping in the courthouse, didn't want to be seen in such a condition by the jury, by the court marshals or DEA agents,” Mrs. Bout explained in an interview with Russia’s Channel One. “When I last visited him in prison, arriving from Moscow, I asked him not to give up whatever happens, whatever the outcome of the hearing is, because this story is far from over.”
Though he has little faith in the US justice system, Bout's brother Sergey is determined to continue too. “We will appeal,” he promised in an interview with RT.
Sergey Bout cited numerous violations made by the prosecution during the trial. The massive list of these violations included extraditing Viktor Bout without proper documents, and trying him while legally he was still in Thailand. Sergey Bout also accused the court of allowing the broadcast of movies portraying Bout as the “merchant of death” prior to the trial. Viktor Bout was also denied the right to use his frozen assets to pay his attorneys, though this is perfectly legal according to US law.
“We were naïve to believe in the fabled American democracy and justice for all. In reality there is no justice, apart from ‘democracy for money’. Any high-profile case that they make us believe was resolved justly in reality was resolved in a whole different fashion, as we realize now,” Sergey Bout concluded.
Bout was found guilty of attempting to sell heavy weapons to a Colombian terrorist group by a New York Federal jury on Wednesday. His sentence – 25 years to life – will be announced on February 8, 2012.
Russian authorities blame political pressure for affecting Bout’s trial, calling the fairness of the verdict into question.
The Russian Foreign Ministry is not giving up on Viktor Bout and vows to take “all measures needed to ensure the legal rights and interests of Viktor Bout as a Russian citizen,” according to spokesman Aleksandr Lukashevich.
Kent Goodman, an author who has written a number of books on Viktor Bout, says there were no conflicting opinions voiced by the media.
“All there was in the media was negative information about Viktor Bout.”
Also, Goodman doesn’t find the evidence in Bout’s case compelling.
“The problem is that too many Americans have heard so many bad things about him. The evidence against him obviously was supposedly selling arms to FARC. Of course, FARC is only considered a terrorist organization in America, and in many other countries of the world it’s considered a valid political party. But they don’t take it into account in the trial.”
Author and investigative journalist Daniel Estulin sees the whole case of Viktor Bout as another move to undermine Russia's interests.
“Victor Bout is a pawn in the international, global game, where Russia – is the endgame. Russia is still the only nation that can stand up to NATO, the US aggression. He is just an example of what is done against Russia's interests around the world,” Estulin told RT, claiming that, “Other efforts are made around the world to destroy Russia's credibility or undermine their influence, such as the 70 bases constructed in Afghanistan, whose only objective is to attack southern flank Russia in case of war.”
“The American government has called Viktor Bout an ex-KGB officer,” Estulin reminded. “Of course, he never was a KGB officer, but the idea behind a KGB officer getting his hands on such powerful weapons, the insinuation is that Russia would actually help him and supply him with weapons. This basically puts Russia in one category with Iran, North Korea, Cuba, Venezuela and others.”
03.11, 17:47 Greek Prime Minister George Papandreou has scrapped his plan for a referendum on the EU bailout package. Earlier he denied rumors of his possible resignation.
Eurozone crisis
03.11, 20:14 While the Syrian government has agreed to an Arab league proposal that could put a stop to nearly eight months of violence, independent journalist James Corbert argues a media campaign is underway to help overthrow the Syrian government.
Syria unrest
No comments:
Post a Comment