Denis Kaznacheev was discharged from Berlin prison JVA Moabit in July after being arrested in May on suspicion of cybercrime in accordance with a longstanding U.S. extradition treaty. Although the Siberian DJ and producer has since been on supervised probation, his supporters took his release to mean his case might follow a more judicious course.
Recently, however, the U.S. government once again called for Kaznacheev’s immediate extradition. In response, a Change.org petition has been launched demanding his fair trial in Germany that totals 23,000 signatures at the time of writing.
“Without any concrete evidence, the USA still wants my extradition,” reads a quote from Kaznacheev at the top of the campaign. “Please make noise, so I can get a chance to defend myself in Germany.”
Kaznacheev faces charges of money laundering and fraudulent web activity, but the U.S. government has not disclosed evidence to support his detainment. German authorities arrested him anyways after the U.S. invoked European Court of Human Rights‘ Rule 39, which also applies in over 100 other countries. Kaznacheev’s legal team hopes the case will set a new precedent around extradition.
“We stand by Denis’s innocence; his identity was stolen and used for criminal activities…” reads the petition. “…We will present it to the Kammergericht in Berlin and ask for a court hearing in Germany, giving him a chance to defend himself and potentially avoid his extradition to the USA. Denis deserves fair, civil treatment and a chance to defend himself before extradition, as so far, there’s only anecdotal proof of any of the presented charges.”
Denis Kaznacheev first rose to prominence in dance music circles as one half of the duo Easy Changes. They began releasing music in 2007 and founded the record label NervMusic two years later. Kaznacheev relocated to Berlin in 2010; in the years since he’s released on such labels as BPrecs and Castanea Records.
In addition to the petition, Kaznacheev’s supporters have launched a fundraiser to cover costs associated with his legal proceedings. More information is available on the Change.org campaign.
