U.S. investigators are putting alleged Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout under intense psychological pressure, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov said.
“Bout is being held in isolation,” Ryabkov told Russian journalists in Washington.
“We believe he is being subject to psychological pressure,” he went on. “This should be ended and he should be given a chance to defend himself and communicate, including with his relatives.”
Report also say Bout is allowed one 15-minute telephone call a month, is not allowed to send emails and is being denied a requested vegetarian diet.
Former Soviet military officer Bout was arrested in Thailand in March 2008 during a sting operation led by U.S. agents. He was extradited to the United States in November last year after spending more than two and half years behind bars.
Bout, 44, is being held in a high security bloc of a New York prison while he awaits trial on charges including conspiring to supply arms to a Colombian terrorist group and kill U.S. nationals. He denies all the charges against him.
His trial has been set for September. He could face anything from 25 years to life in prison if found guilty.
WASHINGTON, January 29 (RIA Novosti)
