No respect: Extradition of alleged Latvian hacker to USA back on hold

Kuldiga, Latvia

Suspected hacker and swindler Deniss Calovskis is accused of unleashing a virus than infected more than a million computers--the result was millions of dollars in losses. Even some NASA computers were compromised. After months of defying American extradition requests, Latvia finally agreed to surrender Calovskis last week.

Two days later, as the Baltic Times points out, the extradition was placed back on hold.

It's not just Russia who is showing disrespect for the United States.

The European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) has accepted a petition filed by attorneys for Deniss Calovskis, a citizen of Latvia charged with cyber crimes in the United States, and has temporarily halted Calovskis' extradition to the United States, said Calovskis' attorney, Saulvedis Varpins, reports LETA.

In a letter to Varpins, the ECHR says that Calovskis must not be extradited to the United States until his case is reviewed by the Strasbourg court. The ECHR letter also says that Calovskis’ case will have priority over other cases due to be reviewed by the court. In the meantime, Calovskis is still in Riga Central Prison.

The government on Aug. 6 agreed to extradite suspect Calovskis to the United States.

U.S. law enforcement institutions brought charges against three alleged East European cyber thieves accused of stealing banking information from computers across Europe and the United States, including Calovskis.

If found guilty, Calovskis and his two accomplices face de facto life sentences in federal prison.

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Not just Russia: Latvia thumbs its nose at USA over extradition case: UPDATED