MOSCOW. Oct 30 (Interfax) - Russian citizen Maria Butina, who has returned home after serving time in a U.S. prison, says she will be a human rights activist and defend lawful interests of prisoners, including the foreign ones.
"Speaking of the future, I can tell you that my activity will hardly be quiet. Human rights remain my priority. This is not the kind of publicity I wanted for myself, but it is what it is. I believe this is clearly the sign that I should be fighting for the rights of mistreated incarcerated people," Butina said in an interview published by the newspaper Izvestia on Wednesday.
She said she would be protecting both Russian nationals and foreigners.
"First of all, I am talking about Russian citizens [incarcerated] abroad, as well as the Americans, the girls who asked me to tell the world what was going on in U.S. prisons. This can be described with one word: nightmare," Butina said.
She called on Russian citizens who remain incarcerated in the United States not to give up.
"Do not give up and remember that there is life outside your cell, this horrid metal fence. Survive this ordeal for the sake of families waiting for their return irrespective of what is happening to them. I know from personal experience how difficult this is, but they are loved, they are waited for, and they will come home for sure. All you need to do is cling to this belief, and this is definitely happen," Butina said.
In Butina's opinion, the real reason for her arrest was that she was a woman who refused to renounce her Russian citizenship.
"I am indignant at the fact that the country, which presents itself as a fortress fighting for human rights, convicted me on the completely sexist grounds. Because I was a woman, above all Russian, and because I never renounced my citizenship and kept telling them: I respect America but I love Russia. This is what I have paid for," Butina said.
"Actually, I would recommend all Russians to be careful during their travels to the West. What happened to me was unpredictable and outrageous. Russophobia is full blown there. Be careful," she said.
Maria Butina, a former aide to Russian Federation Council member Alexander Torshin and the founder of the Right to Bear Arms association, entered the U.S. on a student visa, as she studied at the American University in Washington until spring 2018. She was arrested on July 15, 2018. The U.S. Justice Department charged Butina with conspiring to act as an agent of a foreign government in the U.S. without prior notification to the attorney general.
The investigation established that Butina had conspired to infiltrate conservative U.S. circles to promote Russian interests, acted as an agent of a Russian government official, and used her personal relations with an American who could influence U.S. politics. Butina pleaded guilty to conspiracy to act as an illegal foreign agent and concluded a plea deal with the prosecution at the end of 2018.
On April 26, a U.S. court sentenced Butina to 18 months' imprisonment for undeclared activities in favor of Russia's interests in the U.S. She was credited for nine months she had already been held in prison pending trial. Following the deportation, she will be unable to ask for permission to enter the U.S. for ten years.
Butina was deported after serving her time in the United States. She returned home on October 26. Butina is prohibited from applying for traveling to the United States for the next ten years.