US May Pressure Russia Over Treatment of Viktor Bout: Lawyer

In a six-month span, the lack of medical assistance for Russian businessman Viktor Bout, who is serving a 25-year prison sentence in the US for conspiracy to murder US citizens and provide material support to terrorism, could be an attempt by US authorities to pressure Russia into extraditing American Paul Whelan, who is currently imprisoned in Russia on espionage charges.

This statement was made by Viktor Bout’s American lawyer, Steve Zissou, during an interview with RIA Novosti.

Bout has reportedly faced serious health issues related to a sudden skin condition affecting various areas of his skin, including near his eyes. The prison administration and the US Bureau of Prisons have ignored requests from the Russian embassy in Washington regarding this matter, as well as appeals to defend Russian nationals.

Lawyer Steve Zissou informed RIA Novosti that neither the prison administration nor the US Bureau of Prisons has responded to inquiries from him or Russian diplomats regarding when and how a doctor could visit Bout. “We do not know what it is. We do not even know if it is an infection or another disease with different causes. There is a concern that this illness may negatively impact Viktor’s vision, potentially leading to very serious consequences,” he stated in the interview.

The lawyer noted that he cannot confirm or deny the rumors about Bout’s potential exchange but believes that the recent exchange of Konstantin Yaroshenko for Trevor Reed demonstrated that negotiations regarding Bout’s exchange are fundamentally possible. “And now I have the impression that the treatment Viktor is receiving, or rather the lack of it for such a long time, is a way for US authorities to pressure Russian authorities with the aim of returning to the US,” the lawyer explained.

It is worth mentioning that Bout was arrested in Thailand in 2008 as a result of US intelligence operations and was transferred to the United States. He has been accused of conspiracy to murder US citizens and providing material support to terrorism. Bout denies all charges. In Thailand, he won two extradition cases at the first instance but later, during the appeal phase, the decisions of the first-instance courts were overturned. While still under the jurisdiction of the Thai courts, Bout was taken to the United States, in violation of both Thai and American laws. In 2012, in New York, a jury found the Russian national Bout guilty, after which a federal court sentenced him to the minimum punishment of 25 years in prison.