Ghana seeks extradition of Russian ‘sex’ blogger

Ghana intends to request the extradition of a Russian man accused of illegally recording his sexual encounters with several women and sharing footage online without their consent, reports BBC News. African and Russian media identified him as a self-styled ‘pick-up artist’ and online blogger in his 30s who had travelled to Ghana to secretly film his interactions with women. Outlets in both countries claimed the man used a pair of sunglasses fitted with a camera to film some encounters and circulated them on social media, though officials did not confirm this. Sam George, Ghana's Technology Minister, said he had invited the Russian ambassador to discuss the alleged incident. Earlier, Ghana's Ministry of Gender, Children & Social Protection said an initial investigation had established the suspect had likely left the country. George said he had asked the Russian ambassador in the capital city Accra for Moscow's co-operation in getting justice for the victims. However, Russia does not extradite its citizens, except in extreme circumstances. ‘We want the gentleman to be brought back to Ghana, extradited to Ghana for him to face the rigours of our law.’ George said they would try the suspect in absentia if he failed to return to Ghana. Local media report the same man had been involved in similar illegal acts in Kenya. Under Ghana's Cybersecurity Act 2020, anyone who publishes explicit images of children or adults without full consent can face up to 25 years in prison.