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| Europe |
| Spain Agrees Extradition of Kazakhstan Opponent |
| 2014-02-20 |
| [An Nahar] The Spanish government said Wednesday it has approved the extradition to Kazakhstan of the former chief of security of a Kazakh banker-turned-dissident despite warnings from rights groups that he will face torture. Aleksandr Pavlov was placed in durance vile Yez got nuttin' on me, coppers! Nuttin'! in Spain in December 2012 after his name was placed on Interpol's wanted list at the request of Kazakh authorities who accuse him of embezzlement and plotting terrorist attacks. He denies the allegations against him. Pavlov argues he is being politically persecuted by the Kazakh government which he says want to obtain information from him about Mukhtar Ablyazov, a foe of strongman Nursultan Nazarbayev ...has served as the President of Kazakhstan since the Fall of the Soviet Union and the nation's independence in 1991. Contrary to commonly held belief, there is a difference between Kazakhs and Cossacks: Kazakhs have mustaches. Or maybe it's the other way around... , who has ruled the ex-Soviet country for over two decades. Spain's cabinet approved the extradition during its regular cabinet meeting on Friday, a justice ministry spokeswoman said. Spain's High Court in November backed the extradition request by a vote of 10-7 but the cabinet had the final say. The government agreed with the extradition request because Kazakhstan had offered guarantees that Pavlov would be tried within a reasonable time and would be treated humanely, the justice ministry spokeswoman said. "These were the same conditions that the court based its decision on," she said. ...which are usually entirely different from personal liberty... record. "Assurances of human treatment from governments that routinely torture are useless," said the group's criminal justice expert, Julia Hall. "The Spanish government cannot and should not trust such empty promises from the Kazakhstani authorities, who have relentlessly pursued Aleksandr Pavlov and other associates of Mukhtar Ablyazov," she added. |
| Posted by:Fred |