U.S. Department of Justice asks court to dismiss case against Russian researcher Ksenia Petrova

Justice Department lawyers explained the motion by citing the need to allocate resources rationally. According to the prosecution, further proceedings would require significant time and distract from more important federal interests. The motion says that the resources spent on continuing the criminal prosecution now outweigh the public interest in ending it.

This was noted by lawyer Igor Slabykh. He recalled that the court previously supported the defense’s motion to disclose the circumstances of Petrova’s detention.

Petrova was detained in February last year at Boston airport after arriving from a scientific conference in Paris. She had samples of frog embryos with her. The Russian woman admitted that she did not know she needed to declare biological materials and did not intend to bring them into the United States secretly.

After Petrova’s detention, her visa was canceled and she was sent to an immigration detention center. In May, charges were filed against her, and in June she was released on bail.

Sources

• Novaya Gazeta Europe