ROSTOV-ON-DON. May 19 (Interfax-South) - The U.S. conditions for the extradition of Russian citizens among the Taliban members held prisoner at the Guantanamo naval base are unacceptable, Deputy Prosecutor General Sergei Fridinsky told a Monday news conference at the Interfax-South office.
"In particular, it is unacceptable for our country and national laws to provide the American secret services with permanent access to the prisoners if they are extradited, or to keep them in custody until the end of hostilities and related events," Fridinsky said.
Information about the American requirements is so far unofficial, Fridinsky stressed. He said the Prosecutor General's Office obtained the information "via diplomatic channels."
"We have not received a single official reply to our inquiries," he noted.
It is certain that Russian citizens took part in hostilities on the side of the Taliban, he said.
"The Russian Prosecutor General's Office insists on the American extradition of our citizens in keeping with the agreement on mutual assistance. Their prosecution will be regulated only by the Russian state," Fridinsky said.
"According to the latest official information, the Americans do not plan to exempt from responsibility the persons who resisted together with the Taliban," he said.
The United States has held hearings on the complaints of lawyers and people under arrest in Guantanamo. "The court rulings were in favor of the American authorities, whose conduct was recognized as founded and lawful," Fridinsky said.