Russian Ombudsman Plans to Request Pardon of Pilot Yaroshenko Imprisoned in US

Russian High Commissioner for Human Rights Tatiana Moskalkova said Tuesday that she was planning to appeal for pardon of Russian pilot Konstantin Yaroshenko imprisoned in the United States "on the highest level."

MOSCOW (Sputnik) — Yaroshenko was sentenced to 20 years in prison in 2011 on allegations of conspiring to import more than $100 million worth of cocaine into the United States. He was captured in Liberia in 2010 and turned over to the United States, prompting protests from Russia.

In April 2016, the Appeal Court of New York denied revising the pilot's sentence.

"Now I am working on the issue of appealing on the highest level for the possibility of his [Yaroshenko's] pardon or transfer to the country [Russia]," Moskalkova told reporters.

The official added, citing Yaroshenko's wife, that the pilot had "become an old man" due to his confinement conditions.