Maria Butina is a Russian gun-rights activist convicted in the United States of failing to register as a foreign agent. John Kiriakou says Butina founded a small Russian gun club, akin to a miniature version of the NRA, and reached out to the American NRA to build ties after moving to the United States for graduate school.[1] He says he has spoken with her a number of times and is Facebook friends with her.[2] She was arrested and charged with failure to register as a foreign agent, which Kiriakou characterizes as a “process crime” rather than genuine espionage.[3] Kiriakou notes that Butina, a first-time offender for whom federal sentencing guidelines called for zero to six months, instead received 18 months in solitary confinement[4][5] — and that the United Nations deems any solitary confinement lasting more than two weeks to be a form of torture.[5]
Maria Butina
Russian gun-rights activist convicted in the United States of failing to register as a foreign agent; John Kiriakou cites her case as an example of the "process crime" of FARA violations, contrasting the severity of her 18-month solitary-confinement sentence with federal guidelines calling for 0-6 months.
References
- ↑ Danny Jones Podcast, 2023-12-11 — 00:31 on YouTube · Transcript
- ↑ Indie News Network (INN), 2023-05-13 — 25:14 on YouTube · Transcript
- ↑ Danny Jones Podcast, 2023-12-11 — 01:34 on YouTube · Transcript
- ↑ Danny Jones Podcast, 2023-12-11 — 04:19 on YouTube · Transcript
- ↑ Indie News Network (INN), 2023-05-13 — 25:46 on YouTube · Transcript
Categories: People