The life of Shusharin Anatoly Yuryevich He changed radically in March 2022, when the Armwrestling Federation of Russia (FAR) expelled him for life for his public statements against Russian invasion to Ukraine. That punishment not only moved him away from his sports career as coach and arms struggle athlete, but marked the beginning of a chain of events that today has it locked in the Inca prison, in Quito, Ecuador, waiting for a possible extradition requested by Moscow.
Shusharin He was coach of the highest qualification category in his discipline, he was four times champion of the Russian Federationthree times champion of Europa And six times world champion, according to the records of the arbitrated magazine Scientific aspect.
As stated in official documents of the FAR, on March 22, 2022 the presidium of the organization decided, unanimously, to disqualify Shusharin for “Actions that discredit the Federation”In a letter sent weeks later to the Sports Department of the Russian time region, the Federation explained that the real reason for the sanction were the public expressions of the athlete“ against the current state order ”, its opposition to the“Special military operation”And his negative to support the Russian government.
Far from retracting, Shusharin abandonment Russia At the end of 2022. “political persecution forced him to leave his country,” titled the Romanian media BucPresswhich reported how the renowned coach of Para-Skandenberg “Discipline adapted to the fight of arms for people with disabilities.” It was harassed by the police, threatened, and finally white of a criminal process for openly opposing war.
Shusharin It was established in Ecuadorwhere he legally resided and trained new talents in his discipline. However, on April 24 he was arrested in the city of Cuencaas announced by the Ministry of Interior, under a red notification issued by Interpol At the request of the Russian government. The Ecuadorian entity assured that the Russian citizen “It would have improperly appropriate funds from the Federal Budget of Russia”And faces multiple judicial causes in their country of origin.
The defense of Shusharinled by the jurist Carlos Manosalvasfrom Manosalvas and Lawyers, he argues that the positions that Russia now imputes are an attempt of political retaliation. In an interview with Infobaethe lawyer was blunt: “He is not a criminal. He is a persecuted politician. He was expelled from the Russian Federation for not agreeing with government policies and He had charges once he had left the country”.
Manosalvas questions the logic that, having been officially expelled and residing outside Russiayou are accused of appropriation of federal funds. The lawyer said that there is only one preventive detention order for two months against Shusharin despite Russia He speaks of 18 open judicial processes against him.
Currently, the athlete is in the Inca jailone of the main prisons of Quito, known for its overcrowding and unhealthy conditions. “Is in precarious conditions, it does not have an adequate translator that attends ithas been medically bad and in the medical center of the prison. The Constitutional Court has already said that this type of deprivation of liberty, under these conditions, is similar to a civil death, ”warned the lawyer.
The defense has requested that Shusharin He can face the extradition process at freedom, but so far they have not obtained an answer. According to Manosalvasneither the prosecution nor the judicial system have considered the Political background of the case.
According to the defense, the fact that the life of Shusharin is in danger if you return to Russiabecause your client would not have guarantees of a process just in the face of positions that have punishment forced laborhe said.
Indeed, the detention and eventual extradition of Shusharin occurs in an international context in which multiple countries have begun to ignore the red alerts requested by Russia against Interpoljust for suspicions of political use of the system. There are precedents in Europe and North America where similar applications have been ruled out because they are persecutions camouflaged under criminal charges.
The lack of transparency in the process has also generated alerts. At the time of writing this article, Infobae He tried to verify the open processes against the Russian citizen in the public consultation systems of the State Attorney General and the Council of the Judiciary of Ecuador, but It was not possible to access information about your case. Also, this medium requested an official reaction to the Russian embassy in Ecuadorwithout obtaining an answer.
Manosalvas It does not rule out requesting asylum or political refuge for your client, although it indicates that at the moment all possible legal scenarios are being analyzed. As a defense he hopes that the trial will be fair and proportional, so that judicial cooperation is not used to return a political dissident to a country where his life is in danger.
The story of Shusharin – Professional Deportist and recognized coach – he is today at the center of a legal and diplomatic dispute. While his defense insists that it is a political persecution disguised as criminal chargesRussian authorities maintain their extradition request based on accusations for economic crimes.
The Ecuadorian judicial system must now determine if there are sufficient guarantees for the Russian citizen to face a process just in their country of origin, or if, on the contrary, a case of possible violation of rights is configured. The resolution of this case could sit on the use of international cooperation mechanisms in contexts where politics, sports and justice converge.
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