Rep. Chris Smith (R-NJ), chair of the House Subcommittee on Global Human Rights, issued the following statement on the court order for the release of Igor Bitkov:

"I welcome the news that a court in Guatemala on Friday ordered Igor Bitkov released, sentencing him to time served.   I fully expect that the release of his wife and daughter, Irina and Anastasia, will likewise be forthcoming. 

"That said, the original prosecution and jailing of the Bitkovs — orchestrated by the Russian government in collusion with an out-of-control UN 'anti-corruption' entity, CICIG — was a farce. 

"There needs to be accountability. While it is up to the Guatemalans to address the flaws in the Guatemalan justice system that this case laid bare — such as the extensive use of pretrial detention — there are individuals in our State Department who turned a blind eye to the abuses of CICIG, an entity which we fund. This is especially egregious given the role played by Russian government actors. I renew my call for the State Department’s Inspector General, as well as independent investigative journalists, to examine this thoroughly. 

"The role of the Putin government in the prosecution underscores the stakes for the Bitkov family, whose plight was the subject of a hearing I chaired in April. While Friday’s decision is good news, they remain in peril. Under no circumstances can they be returned to Russia.  They must be given asylum, if not in Guatemala, then in a third country."