The US has requested Georgia to extradite Russian citizen Tatyana Kurashkevich, who was detained at Tbilisi International Airport. The Georgian Ministry of Internal Affairs confirmed the detention and announced that the extradition process has begun under a criminal case ongoing in the US.
Kurashkevich's lawyer, Beka Nemsitsveridze, stated that his client was held at the airport and that the US case involves several separate charges. According to Nemsitsveridze, the allegations include money laundering and aiding criminal activities.
The case is said to be related to the shipment of aviation spare parts subject to export controls. Nemsitsveridze conveyed that Kurashkevich is a person involved in an investigation of sanctions violations related to the aviation industry.
Eva Merkacheva, a member of the Russian Human Rights Council, described Kurashkevich as an entrepreneur, a graduate student at the Diplomatic Academy affiliated with the Moscow State Institute of International Relations, and an international trade expert. Merkacheva said the charges in the case are economic in nature, involving sanctions evasion and similar offenses.
According to Merkacheva, the charges consist of four separate counts, each potentially carrying long prison sentences. Three counts carry a possible 20-year sentence each, and the fourth count carries a possible 10-year sentence, totaling up to 70 years in prison.
It was noted that Kurashkevich came to Georgia as a tourist and learned at Tbilisi Airport that there was a criminal case against her in the US. Georgian authorities reported that extradition procedures are ongoing, and the Tbilisi court has ordered Kurashkevich to be held in custody pending trial.
Merkacheva argued that the extradition would violate international law and expressed hope that Georgia would not proceed with it. She also mentioned that they have prepared an official appeal.
