WASHINGTON—Following today’s release of Irina and Anastasia Bitkov from prison in Guatemala and their reunification with Igor and Vladimir Bitkov, Helsinki Commission Chairman Sen. Roger Wicker (MS) and Co-Chairman Rep. Chris Smith (NJ-04) issued the following statements:
“By freeing the Bitkov family, the government of Guatemala has demonstrated its commitment to the rule of law. Every effort must now be made to protect this family from further retribution by Russian authorities and to expedite the process of clearing their names, so that their long nightmare can end and they can live in peace,” said Chairman Wicker. “This will not be the last time that the Kremlin attempts to abuse the world’s courts and legal institutions to settle a vendetta. We must find ways to defend our international organizations from Russian propaganda and manipulation.”
“We should all rejoice with the Bitkovs that they are now no longer in prison—and keep working to secure their release from house arrest, and then bring to an end their persecution by the Russian government and CICIG,” said Co-Chairman Smith, who chaired an April 27 Helsinki Commission hearing to examine the role of the government of Russia and the UN’s International Commission against Impunity in Guatemala (CICIG) in the family’s imprisonment. “There must be accountability for the evident injustices they have suffered—but the top priority must remain the Bitkovs’ own safety and welfare.”
Chairman Wicker first raised the issue of the Bitkovs’ plight in a 2015 letter to the then-president of Guatemala, Alejandro Maldonado.
