Moscow Urges Finland to Respect Rights of Russian Detained at US Request

Moscow urged Helsinki to respect the rights of the Russian citizen detained in Finland at the request of the US authorities, the Russian Foreign Ministry's commissioner for human rights said on Wednesday.

MOSCOW (Sputnik) — Earlier in the day, a Russian citizen, Yuri Efremov, was detained at Finland's airport at the US request.

"This is the fourth case of similar kind in Finland this year. Once again, we are faced with the extraterritorial application of US law in respect of a Russian citizen, which is contrary to the universally recognized international norms," Konstantin Dolgov said in a commentary on the ministry's website.

The Russian Foreign Ministry expressed concern over Washington's "persistence" in ignoring the 1999 bilateral Treaty on the Mutual Assistance in Criminal Matters, which provides a mechanism for the exchange of information on persons suspected of committing crimes, according to the statement.

In this regard, the Russian Foreign Ministry calls on the Finnish side to the strict observance of all constitutional guarantees, international law of human rights and consular relations.

Dolgov added that the Russian Embassy in Finland will continue to provide necessary consular and legal assistance to Efremov.

In connection with the incident, Moscow recommended the Russian people, who are planing to travel abroad to carefully consider all the risks, especially if there are reasons to suspect claims by US law enforcement agencies.