Yaroshenko’s Attorney to Seek ‘Reconsideration’ After US Court Ruling

Jailed Russian pilot Konstantin Yaroshenko will continue to vow his innocence after a US Court of Appeals ruled to uphold his conviction, Yaroshenko’s attorney Alexey Tarasov told Sputnik on Wednesday.

NEW YORK (Sputnik) — On Wednesday, the US Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit ruled that arguments made to reverse Yaroshenko’s conviction lacked merit.

"We disagree with the decision of the Appeals Court and intend to seek its reconsideration, either by the Second Circuit convened en banc or by the US Supreme Court," Tarasov said.

Tarasov argued in the appeal that Yaroshenko was kidnapped and tortured, and that relations between the United States and Russia declined as a result.

The US authorities detained Yaroshenko in Liberia in 2010 after conducting a sting operation across western Africa. They transferred Yaroshenko to the United States where he was sentenced to 20 years in prison on charges of smuggling cocaine.

In a March letter to Sputnik, Yaroshenko said the US court ignored evidence that US prosecutors and drug enforcement authorities fabricated the case against him.

Yaroshenko also said US authorities lied in order to cover up crimes committed by Liberian and US special forces when they tortured him.

Russian authorities have repeatedly expressed concern over the circumstances of Yaroshenko's arrest and the poor conditions of his detention. In 2012, Moscow sent a request to Washington to transfer Yaroshenko to Russia, but the United Stated declined.