Harvard scholar charged with smuggling frog embryos

• Ksenia Petrov, a researcher from Harvard, accused of smuggling frog embryos.
• Detained at Boston Airport after returning from Paris.
• Petrov’s lawyer questions the validity of the charges and the timing of her transfer to detention.

Ksenia Petrov, a Russian scholar working at Harvard University, was detained at Boston's Logan International Airport as she was returning from Paris. Three months after her detention, she was formally charged with attempting to smuggle frog embryos into the United States. The 31-year-old was transferred from Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detention to a correctional facility in Louisiana. Preliminary proceedings in her criminal case are set to begin on Thursday.

Petrov claims that Donald Trump's administration is detaining her unlawfully. Her lawyer, Gregory Romanovsky, described the case as "baseless." He also questioned the timing of Petrov's transfer to criminal detention after a bail hearing was scheduled.

There is no corresponding ground of inadmissibility. You cannot be found inadmissible because of the customs violation – stated Romanovsky.

Before the criminal case was revealed, the US government signalled an intention to deport Petrov to Russia. She fears returning to her country, especially after protests against Russian aggression in Ukraine. Her representative emphasises that the charges aim to portray Petrov as a criminal and justify actions leading to her deportation.

According to federal prosecutors, Petrov was detained after biological materials were discovered in her carry-on luggage. Regulations require a declaration and special permission for their import into the United States. Petrov claims her supervisor asked her to bring the samples for research.

The preliminary proceedings in Petrov's criminal case are set to begin on Thursday. Her future in the United States remains uncertain, and the case is causing much controversy in scientific and political communities.