INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
Russian pilot Konstantin Yaroshenko, who spent more than a decade in a U.S
jail before being returned to Russia in a prisoner swap, was appointed a member of Russia's Civic Chamber by President Vladimir Putin on
Friday.Yaroshenko, who was arrested in Liberia in 2010 and extradited to the United States on drug charges, was convicted of cocaine
smuggling and sentenced to 20 years in a U.S
He has always denied the charges against him.In April, Yaroshenko was swapped in a prisoner exchange for the former U.S
Putin appointed Yaroshenko to the 168-member Civic Chamber, a civil society group that has consultative powers in its work monitoring
authorities while in jail.Yaroshenko said that as a Civic Chamber member he planned to work on securing the release of other Russians jailed
Russian and other citizens who disagree with U.S
