Eston Kohver neglected by Russian advocate
After a long gap, an Estonian consul in Moscow met with the abducted Estonian internal secret service agent Eston Kohver. The Russian authorities have still not granted permission to let an Estonian doctor assess Kohver's medical condition or enabled Kohver to be in touch with his relatives by phone.
Russia gave permission to an Estonian consul in Moscow to meet with Kohver on December 15. This will be their first meeting since November 19.
Kohver said that the regular meetings between him and a consul, messages from relatives, and the support he receives from Estonia and internationally are extremely important to him, Mariann Sudakov, a spokeswoman for the Estonian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, told ERR.
Sudakov said that Estonia has applied for permission for an Estonian doctor to do a medical check-up on Kohver, but Russian authorities have so far failed to respond. Estonian authorities have also challenged the Russian decision to carry out a psychiatric assessment on Kohver, but to no avail.
Sudakov also disclosed that Kohver's state-appointed advocate has not been in touch with the Estonian agent since October 31.
“He has not organized communication with Kohver's relatives either, despite the promises to do so,” Sudakov said.
Sudakov confirmed that Estonian government is doing everything in its power to achieve Kohver's imminent release.
Kohver, Estonian authorities say, was in the line of duty, collecting information on cross-border corruption in the vicinity of the Estonian-Russian border, when he was abducted on September 5. Estonia has always insisted that Kohver's abduction violates international law. Russia is holding him on spying charges.
Editor: S. Tambur