MOSCOW, June 4 (RIA Novosti) — The authorities of the United States continue to block access of Russian doctors to pilot Konstantin Yaroshenko, serving his 20-year sentence in a US prison since 2010, Russian Foreign Ministry’s Special Representative for Human Rights Konstantin Dolgov said Wednesday.
"American authorities retain their position, their obstacles, which virtually block the arrival of Russian medical workers for the check-up of our citizen, remain in place - regardless of all our demands, these conditions have not been called off," Dolgov said.
The reasons for access denial the US State Department has verbally stated "cannot be considered adequate," he added.
In February 2014, Yaroshenko began to complain of severe pain in the heart, 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 a New Jersey jail was made "de-facto impossible" by requirements set out by US officials.
Moscow has recently received information on improvement in Yaroshenko's state.
"We have certain signals that seemingly the critical phase is over now, but he continues to have serious complaints and, of course, American authorities continue not to live up to their international obligations. They carry the responsibility for the health of the Russian citizen in their prison," he said.
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 later flown to the United States.
The Russian pilot denied the charges, but was nevertheless convicted and sentenced in April 2011 for colluding to smuggle cocaine into the United States.
