The US State Department confirmed the arrest of US citizen Travis Leake in Russia, reporting that US embassy officials attended the formal reading of the indictment document on Saturday (10).
Moscow’s courts of general jurisdiction earlier released a statement on Telegram saying that a US citizen had been detained on charges involving illicit drugs.
Leake was detained on Saturday when “Moscow’s Khamovniki District Court took preventive action against an American citizen,” the statement reads.
A court affidavit identified him as “Travis Michael Leek”.
“The former paratrooper and musician is accused of engaging in the narcotics business to attract young people,” the statement said, adding that he appeared before the Khamovniki District Court in Moscow on June 10 and will remain in custody until August 6, 2023. .
On Sunday (11), the US State Department confirmed Leake’s arrest.
“We can confirm that Michael Travis Leake has been arrested and is being held in Moscow. Embassy officials attended the formal reading of the indictment document on June 10,” a spokesman told CNN .
“We will continue to follow the case closely.”
“The US Department of State and our embassies and consulates abroad have no higher priority than the safety of US citizens abroad,” they said.
“When a US citizen is detained abroad, the Department seeks consular access as quickly as possible and works to provide all appropriate consular assistance.”
Leake’s mother says it hasn’t been formally communicated yet
Leake’s mother, Glenda Garcia, says she has yet to hear from US government officials about her son’s current situation and is concerned about what he is going through.
“Of course I’m worried!” she told the CNN on Sunday. “He’s stuck in a foreign country, that’s a concern.”
Garcia said she doesn’t know if her son has a lawyer and she herself doesn’t know what to do.
“I haven’t heard from the State Department. If I don’t hear from them tomorrow, I’ll try to call them,” she said. “I really don’t know anything other than what I heard on the news.”
Garcia last spoke to her son on Mother’s Day, she said, noting that they normally talk every few weeks.
Of her son’s time in Russia, Garcia said, “I know he was in a band, and I know he taught English.”
denial of guilt
Video of Leake’s arrest at his home and a photo of a Russian police station were published by Russian media on 8 June.
Ren TV, a tabloid, reported Leake’s statements to the police, in which he is said to have said: “I don’t understand why I’m here. I don’t admit guilt, I don’t believe I could have done what they accuse me of because I don’t know what they accuse me of.”
The arrest comes amid Russia’s war with Ukraine, which has seen already bad relations between the US and Russia plummet.
In March, Russian security services arrested American journalist Evan Gershkovich, accusing him of spying, which he denies.
Interviewed by Anthony Bourdain
A CNN filmed Leake in 2014 for an episode of “Parts Unknown”, Anthony Bourdain’s show, in Moscow and St. Petersburg.
The presenter personally chose Leake to participate in the program.
In the episode, Leake opened up about his frustrations with censorship and recounted an incident involving his band and MTV.
“This was a documentary series about musicians who stood up and risked their lives in some cases, to stand up to government abuse of power, government corruption,” he said.
“And yet, a foreign government was able to editorially control what American viewers see on their TV screens. That to me is a scandal of epic proportions.”
Darya Tarasova, who produced the episode, said, “The band wasn’t that famous, but Travis and his friends talked a lot about free speech and state oppression in Russia. Bourdain really enjoyed this interview,” she said.
“Travis was a showman; very articulate and he loved Russia,” added Tarasova. “Bands from the Moscow rock scene would come to him to write songs in English and revise their lyrics,” she said.
“The last time we spoke was 2018 and he seemed depressed and upset but Travis would never do the things he is being accused of. He’s an American in Russia and he’s very aware of the situation he’s in. But I am surprised he stayed after the war started as it was too risky for him.”
Social media accounts and videos confirmed by a reporter from CNN show Leake as a frontman in Lovi Noch, which translates to “Catch the Night” in English, or “Vá para a noitada” in free translation in Portuguese.
He was also a music producer for other Russian musical groups during his stay in Moscow.
(Reporting by Josh Pennington, Raja Razek, Philip Wang, Sandi Sidhu, Heather Chen, Sophie Jeong, Jennifer Hansler and Camila Bernal from CNN )
Source: CNN Brasil
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