Russia: US citizen riots in hotel and has to spend 15 days in prison

An American arrested after alleged rioting in a hotel has been sentenced to 15 days in prison by the Russian judiciary. He must serve the sentence in a Moscow penitentiary, the responsible court in the Russian capital announced, according to a report by the state news agency Tass. August 12 was set as the start of the prison term.

“Non-normative lexicon”: Man complains

According to the report, there is also another criminal case pending against the man for a violent attack on a policewoman – an offense that can be punished with up to five years in prison.

Moscow police were called to a hotel because the American was behaving aggressively and was also said to have used “non-normative vocabulary” – meaning swear words. The man ignored the officers’ requests to change his behavior and was eventually arrested, the Interfax agency reported. At the police station, the man hit a policewoman, a police spokesman said.

Authorities released the name of the man, born in 1978, who allegedly failed to present the registration card issued upon entry at the hotel.

Historic prisoner exchange between Russia and the West

Two weeks ago, in the largest prisoner exchange with Western states since the end of the Cold War, Russia released US citizens in exchange for Russian agents in Western custody. Among them were former soldier Paul Whelan and journalist Evan Gershkovich. Other citizens of the USA and other Western states are still in Russian custody.

Russia is accused of repeatedly sentencing Americans to long prison terms as bargaining chips in order to exchange them for imprisoned compatriots abroad.