Alleged Kickass Torrents operator Artem Vaulin will anchor his defense on cases filed by the U.S. and Polish governments on human rights violations, a new report said. The heavy punishment that awaits the KAT owner and the court's denial of bail trample on Vaulin's basic rights, lawyers for the accused claimed.
TorrentFreak reported that defense counsel Ira Rothken met with Vaulin for the first time recently and it was decided to bring Vaulin's case before the European Court of Human Rights. Rothken said the U.S. government is suing his client for multiple criminal infringements that resulted to billions of dollars of losses for content producers.
If found guilty, the KAT operator could face jail terms that will outlive him, millions of years behind bars, in fact, in the calculations offered by Rothken will prove correct. The defense lawyer said the punishment is too harsh considering his client is accused of non-violent crimes.
Add to Vaulin's predicament is the Polish court's decision to deny him bail, which Rothken said is a clear violation of human rights.
"Artem is presumed innocent and the failure to provide him with bail in a novel copyright case on mere torrent files, which is an alleged non-violent crime, violates his human rights," Rothken told TorrentFreak, adding that Vaulin's continued stay on prison also robs him the chance to actively participate on his defense.
The Vaulin defense team is confident that the courts in the U.S., Poland and Europe will eventually rule in their favor.
Last week, a Polish court ordered Vaulin's extradition to the United States but as noted by TorrentFreak in an earlier report the decision will have to be finalized by the country's High Court before it can be actually implemented.
Arrested Last July 2016, Vaulin is held by Polish authorities and when extradited to America he will face federal charges before an Illinois court. The U.S. is accusing the alleged Kickass Torrents owner of multiple copyright infringements and money laundering.