MOSCOW, June 6 (RIA Novosti) - Russian pilot Konstantin Yaroshenko, who is serving his 20-year sentence in the US Fort Dix Federal Correctional Institution, said that some agitator in the prison is trying to persuade others that the Russian detainee is dangerous, according to the pilot’s lawyer Alexei Tarasov.
"My client, Konstantin Yaroshenko last contacted me two days ago. During the conversation, he explained that at that moment he was extremely concerned about some agitator in the prison who slandered Yaroshenko, spread rumors about the threats he had allegedly received from Yaroshenko, told other prisoners about that," Tarasov said.
"Because of this convict, Yaroshenko was summoned to the prison administration, and even placed in solitary confinement for several hours after the man said that Yaroshenko had allegedly threatened to kill him. Surely, it is absolutely untrue. Konstantin is weak, he cannot physically threaten anyone. Moreover, he behaves perfectly in prison," Tarasov noted.
In February 2014, Yaroshenko began to complain of severe heart pain, dizziness and nausea — fearing that these were symptoms of an impending heart attack. Russia’s efforts to ensure due medical assistance to its citizen in the New Jersey jail were made "de-facto impossible" by requirements set out by US officials.
The United States continues to block access for Russian doctors to Yaroshenko, according to a statement on Wednesday by the Russian Foreign Ministry’s Special Representative for Human Rights, Konstantin Dolgov. Though the pilot’s condition has improved, he still continues to have serious complaints, and the US authorities “carry the responsibility for the health of the Russian citizen in their prison,” Dolgov reminded.
Yaroshenko was detained in Liberia in 2010 after replying to an advertisement posted by undercover agents of the US Drug Enforcement Agency that claimed to be selling a cargo plane for $1. He was accused of conspiracy to smuggle drugs into the United States.
The Russian pilot denied the charges, but was nevertheless convicted and sentenced to 20 years of imprisonment in April 2011.
