Washington, May 15 (H.S.): Russian scientist Kseniia Petrova was denied bail by the court on Wednesday. The Justice Department leveled serious federal charges against the Harvard medical researcher during a hearing in Vermont’s U.S. District Court. The Justice Department stated that the 30-year-old Petrova was detained at Boston Logan International Airport on February 16, returning from Paris. Non-infectious and non-toxic frog embryos were found in her luggage. Prosecutors allege that she was attempting to illegally smuggle them into the United States. Following the hearing, the court scheduled a date of May 28 for Petrova’s bail petition.

According to Reports, Kseniia Petrova’s lawyers expressed surprise at the charges. They stated that the allegations were made only hours after a petition for habeas corpus was filed in court, seemingly to facilitate her deportation to Russia. She has faced persecution multiple times in Russia for her political activities. Federal officials claim that Petrova intentionally violated the law amidst ongoing attempts to deport her. Petrova’s lawyer, Gregory Romanovsky, stated that she was returning the frog embryos at the request of a professor from a French laboratory.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office in Massachusetts stated that Petrova was initially held at a detention center in Louisiana. Petrova’s lawyer mentioned that she has since been transferred to a federal jail facility. They noted that the cancellation of Senya’s visa was based on an alleged customs violation, which is not permissible under U.S. law. The court also expressed surprise at the government’s decision to cancel Petrova’s visa after her detention.

Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar