Imprisoned Foreigners Should Serve Sentences In Their Own Countries, Says Russian Minister

Russia is in favor of the extradition of imprisoned foreigners for serving their sentences in the countries they belong to. This opinion was expressed by Russian Justice Minister Yuri Chaika. He was speaking at the 24th conference of European Justice Ministers in Moscow. Chaika also proposed that the range be extended of the participants of the Convention on the Extradition of Convicts that was concluded within the framework of the Council of Europe. The Russian minister noted that in many European countries the number of foreign prisoners exceeds 20% and there is a tendency towards a growth of that number. According to his data, in Russia the share of foreign convicts is comparatively small, i.e., 14,200 people. At the same time, outside of Russia 4,300 Russian citizens are serving sentences in 54 countries. Yuri Chaika stressed that the extradition of convicts would reduce the expenses of the state and free places in penitentiary institutions.