Athens claims violation of the Vienna Convention on Consular Relations Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Russia in the case of the extradition of the Russian programmer Alexander Vinik to USA.

Statement by the official representative of the Russian Foreign Ministry, Maria Zakharovaposted on his website late in the evening reads as follows:

“We are outraged by the unfriendly actions of the Greek authorities, who, under pressure from the United States, which launched a real hunt for Russian citizens in third countries under a far-fetched pretext, extradited our compatriot Vinik A.B. avenge justice.

In violation of Article 36 of the Vienna Convention on Consular Relations of 1963 and contrary to the official request of the Russian Embassy in Athens, the consular staff of the diplomatic mission, his lawyer and translator were not allowed to meet with the Russian citizen.

The repeated (since 2017) requests of the Russian authorities to extradite Vinik A.B. were completely ignored. to Russia as the country of his citizenship, as well as the appeal of the Russian side regarding the implementation of the Convention on the Extradition of Convicted Persons of 1983, given the difficult humanitarian situation in which our citizen found himself.

The active participation of Athens in yet another illegal act of American legal arbitrariness against a Russian arrested more than five years ago in Greece, then transferred to France, from where he was taken back to Athens only to be hastily extradited and actually kidnapped, is another proof confrontational line of the Greek leadership towards our country.

Russia will not leave our citizen to the mercy of fate. Russian diplomats will do everything possible to protect his legitimate rights and interests.”

^{Source: APE-MEB}