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| Europe |
| Zakayev Released for Lack of Proof |
| 2002-12-03 |
| In a slap in the face to Russia's justice system, Denmark refused Tuesday to extradite Akhmed Zakayev, saying the evidence provided against him was insufficient, vague and gathered mostly after his arrest. Although the Russian foreign minister and justice minister accused the Danish Justice Ministry of basing its decision on political considerations, many politicians in Moscow focused their criticism on the Prosecutor General's Office for its handling of the Zakayev case. The official reaction was much milder than could have been expected, especially in light of the uproar over Denmark's refusal to ban a Chechen conference in Copenhagen in October. The Russians didn't like that, they like this decision even less. Zakayev, a top representative of Chechen separatist leader Aslan Maskhadov, was released Tuesday afternoon, four days after Russian prosecutors submitted what they said was their last piece of evidence against him ahead of Saturday's deadline. The actor turned military leader, who only last year was accepted by the Kremlin as a suitable negotiating partner, was arrested in Copenhagen on Oct. 30 following the Chechen conference, attended by separatists and their supporters. "After having been through the Russian extradition request, the Justice Ministry has taken its decision today," said Jakob Scharf, the head of the Danish Justice Ministry's international department, The Associated Press reported. "An extradition cannot be made on the basis of the present material," he said, adding that it "was considered insufficient." At about 4:30 p.m. Moscow time -- the same time Zakayev was released from prison -- Russia's ambassador in Copenhagen, Nikolai Bordyuzha, was invited to the Danish Foreign Ministry to be informed of the decision. "I can say clearly that I don't understand this position," Bordyuzha said on Channel One television. He said he had read most of the documents supplied by the prosecutor's office and found them pointing clearly to crimes committed by Zakayev. "They explained to me that Denmark continues to remain committed to anti-terrorist principles," Bordyuzha said. "But it seems to me that Denmark will be fighting 'bad' terrorists while fighting 'good' terrorists will be left to someone else." "Bad terrorists" = not Islamic. The Russians will remember this. |
| Posted by:Steve |
| #2 I think they're probably trying to say that they didn't have probable cause to arrest him in the first place. |
| Posted by: mojo 2002-12-04 10:51:55 |
| #1 "...and gathered mostly after his arrest." Can you imagine telling the coppers anywhere else in the world that you're not going to use any evidence they gather AFTER you arrest a suspect? I had thought that American and European jurisprudence had some common basis in Western thought and philosophy. Clearly I missed something. |
| Posted by: Steve White 2002-12-03 21:58:21 |