Russian Taliban in Guantanamo. Will Washington deliver them?

Russian Defense Minister Sergey Ivanov officially confirmed yesterday that there are three Russian citizens among the captive Taliban at the Guantanamo base. This information is not a breaking piece of news. The Americans are not at all willing to let anyone attend the base after the recent scandal, when representatives of international organizations visited the base and saw the horrible conditions in which the prisoners were live.

However, there was an exception made for Russia. The collaborators of the Russian Office of the Prosecutor General recently visited the base. Sergey Fridinsky, deputy Prosecutor General, confirmed that there were Russian nationals among those prisoners of the Guantanamo base. Fridinsky clamed that Russia would strive for their release. The names of the Russian prisoners of Guantanamo have been identified: two of them come from Central Russia, and the third one is of Caucasian origin.

The Justice Ministry had something to say on the subject as well. JMinister of Justice Yury Chaika stated the following: “The Russian laws allow to institute criminal proceedings against the three Russian citizens who were detained in Afghanistan. There is every reason to believe that they are guilty of their participation in terrorist activities and in terrorist groups as mercenaries.” Chaika also stated that the criminal case had its perspectives. This is true, but the USA has not delivered anyone yet, although it is known that the British, French, and Swedish nationals are among the prisoners of Guantanamo base. The governments of those countries repeatedly raised the question pertaining to their extradition to their home countries, but there has not yet been an answer. Maybe Russia will create the precedent that will give it a go.

Dmitry Litvinovich PRAVDA.Ru

Translated by Dmitry Sudakov