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| ‘I did not give up because I simply could not do that, thanks to all who helped me’: Butina speaks upon arrival in Moscow | ‘I did not give up because I simply could not do that, thanks to all who helped me’: Butina speaks upon arrival in Moscow |
| (32 minutes later) | |
| Maria Butina, a Russian gun activist who spent months in a US jail for failing to properly register as a foreign agent, has landed in Moscow. Her case sparked outcry in Russia and accusations of “prosecutorial overreach.” | Maria Butina, a Russian gun activist who spent months in a US jail for failing to properly register as a foreign agent, has landed in Moscow. Her case sparked outcry in Russia and accusations of “prosecutorial overreach.” |
| She has arrived in Sheremetyevo airport after a long flight from Miami, Florida on Saturday. | She has arrived in Sheremetyevo airport after a long flight from Miami, Florida on Saturday. |
| Butina told reporters she feels “well” and is very happy to finally "return home.” She thanked everyone for supporting her during the tough and lengthy ordeal in the US. | |
| Maria’s father, Valery Butin, has flown from Siberia to meet her at the airport. He thanked the diplomats, human rights groups, and “ordinary people” for supporting his daughter and not letting the story die down. He also thanked the US lawyers for their fight against the “Russophobic” charges against his daughter in court. | |
| Maria Butina went to the US on a student visa in 2016. She became involved with the National Rifle Association (NRA) as part of her stated goal of liberalizing Russia’s restrictive gun laws. In July 2018, she was detained by the FBI on suspicion of conspiring to infiltrate the lobby group to promote Russian interests in the US. | |
| Already hooked on the Russiagate hysteria, US media outlets jumped on the story, erroneously labeling Butina a Kremlin spy who traded sex for political favors. | Already hooked on the Russiagate hysteria, US media outlets jumped on the story, erroneously labeling Butina a Kremlin spy who traded sex for political favors. |
| The Russian gun activist pleaded guilty in December to failing to register as a foreign agent after being held in solitary confinement for months. She was sentenced to 18 months in prison, essentially for being an unregistered lobbyist. | The Russian gun activist pleaded guilty in December to failing to register as a foreign agent after being held in solitary confinement for months. She was sentenced to 18 months in prison, essentially for being an unregistered lobbyist. |
| Moscow repeatedly denied any links to Butina, saying the case against her was politically motivated. Russian President Vladimir Putin slammed the US government’s case and subsequent imprisonment of Butina as a “travesty of justice.” | Moscow repeatedly denied any links to Butina, saying the case against her was politically motivated. Russian President Vladimir Putin slammed the US government’s case and subsequent imprisonment of Butina as a “travesty of justice.” |
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