MOSCOW, July 11 (RIA Novosti) – The Russian consul general in San Francisco will on Sunday visit Russian citizen Roman Seleznev, who was detained by the United States in the Maldives last week, his father told reporters Friday.
“On [July] 13, the Russian consul general in San Francisco will meet Roman in prison. A diplomatic channel will be established. This is very important,” said Roman’s father, State Duma lawmaker Valery Seleznev.
Russian Foreign Ministry Special Representative for Human Rights, Democracy and the Rule of Law Konstantin Dolgov confirmed that Russian diplomats are expected to visit Seleznev on July 13 or July 14.
"We insist on upholding his legitimate rights and interests, including procedural, as a citizen of Russia ... We expect the consular visit to Russian citizen Roman Seleznev in Guam on approximately July 13-14," Dolgov wrote on Twitter Friday.
Roman Seleznev, 30, was arrested on July 5, in a Maldivian airport by US secret services on suspicion of cybercrime. Seleznev was taken to the island of Guam in the Pacific Ocean, where he appeared in court on Monday. The ensuing hearings are to be held on July 22.
US authorities have accused the Russian citizen of hacking into point-of-sale systems at a number of American shops to steal credit card data from customers. Roman faces up to 30 years in prison if convicted of the bank fraud, while the other charges also carry significant sentences.
The Russian Foreign Ministry has called the incident an unfriendly move by the United States and a de facto kidnapping. Seleznev may die in custody if denied medical care due to a massive brain injury after a terrorist attack in Morocco in 2011, his father said.
