INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
An American rejected his United States citizenship in a Moscow court on Thursday, saying he was the victim of political persecution in the
United States, Russian state news agencies reported.Joseph Tater was in court after being accused of assaulting a police officer after
abusing staff at a hotel in the Russian capital last month.In an appeal hearing at the Moscow City Court, he criticized the United States
was in the hospital, and that he had been arrested in the United States on false charges
His lawyer told the judge he had come to Russia "with the purpose of obtaining political asylum in connection with persecution by the
"journalists from Ukraine" leave the hearing, the agencies reported.The court rejected his appeal against being held in pre-trial detention
He faces up to five years in prison.Russia has arrested several United States citizens in recent years on charges ranging from espionage
