MOSCOW. June 17 (Interfax) - The possible exchange of U.S. citizen Paul Whelan, who has been sentenced to 16 years in Russia, for Russian citizens Viktor Bout and Konstantin Yaroshenko incarcerated in the United States, would be an act of humanism, Russian Human Rights Commissioner Tatyana Moskalkova told Interfax on Wednesday.
"I still think that any exchange and any effort toward returning fellow Russian citizens to the home country are an act of humanism and mercy," Moskalkova said in response to the question how she would feel about Whelan's possible exchange for Bout and Yaroshenko.
"Hopefully, this will not be the first or the last step, and the outcome will be positive," she said.