MOSCOW. Dec 19 (Interfax) - Officers of the Russian embassy in Washington DC visited Russian citizen Viktor Bout, who is serving 25 years in the Marion penitentiary in Illinois, on Tuesday as part of regular visitations of Russians incarcerated in the United States.
"Viktor Bout is bearing hardships of prison life with fortitude and firmly defends his innocence. Regretfully, the United States has been stalling the issuance of visas to Bout's wife and daughter, which hinders the first family reunion in years. We will demand that bureaucratic impediments be removed shortly and that our citizen receive humane treatment," the embassy wrote on Facebook.
"We will continue to demand that rights and lawful interests of the Russian citizen be observed and to give him comprehensive assistance and support," the embassy said.
Bout was detained in Bangkok on March 6, 2008, on counts of illegal arms trade, conspiracy to kill U.S. citizens, and aiding and abetting terrorism. Thailand extradited him to Washington on November 16, 2010. Bout was sentenced to 25 years in prison in 2012. The court found him guilty of trying to sell weapons to the leftwing radical group Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, which could have used those weapons to murder U.S. servicemen.
Bout is serving time in the Marion penitentiary in Illinois. He pleads not guilty to all charges and says he was into the legitimate business of international air transportation.