A U.S. federal appeals court has upheld the conviction and prison sentence of Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout.
The Russian Foreign Ministry's human rights representative, Konstantin Dolgov, said the September 27 court ruling showed the case against Bout was unjust and politically motivated.
Bout was convicted in 2011 of conspiracy to kill Americans and sentenced to 25 years in prison.
He was arrested in 2008 in Thailand in an international sting operation after he agreed to sell arms to U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) agents, whom he believed were members of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) to use against U.S. forces.
The U.S. government has designated FARC a terrorist organization.
Bout's case strained relations between Washington and Moscow, which has demanded the return of the onetime Soviet air force officer.
The Russian Foreign Ministry's human rights representative, Konstantin Dolgov, said the September 27 court ruling showed the case against Bout was unjust and politically motivated.
Bout was convicted in 2011 of conspiracy to kill Americans and sentenced to 25 years in prison.
He was arrested in 2008 in Thailand in an international sting operation after he agreed to sell arms to U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) agents, whom he believed were members of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) to use against U.S. forces.
The U.S. government has designated FARC a terrorist organization.
Bout's case strained relations between Washington and Moscow, which has demanded the return of the onetime Soviet air force officer.
