PBH / colombia (active forums more▼ | travelguide | pictures) / post

The European Court of Human Rights has ruled that Russia cannot extradite Yair Klein to Colombia

The European Court of Human Rights has ruled that Russia cannot extradite to Columbia an Israeli national accused by Bogota of conspiracy in terrorism, the defendant's lawyer said on Wednesday.

The Strasbourg court "has prohibited Russia from extraditing Yair Klein to Colombia pending the court's further instructions," Dmitry Yampolsky said.

Russia's Supreme Court ruled as lawful last week the extradition of Klein, a former colonel in the Israeli army, who was sentenced by Colombian judicial authorities in 2001 to nearly 11 years in prison for training members of drug traffickers' private armies and paramilitary groups.

The court rejected an appeal by Klein's defense, which said the defendant was persecuted for political motives and that the five-year time limit for the sentence to be enforced had expired. Klein has said he may face torture in Colombia.

Klein, who ran a private mercenary company called Spearhead Ltd, was captured by Interpol in Moscow last August on an international arrest warrant on charges of criminal conspiracy and instruction in terrorism. Colombia's government asked for his extradition.

Klein denied in an interview ever working with cocaine cartels, but confirmed that he did instruct far-right death squads. He said he was originally hired - with the Colombian Defense Ministry's blessing - to organize security for the banana industry in the northern region of Uraba.

Israeli media earlier reported that Klein spent 16 months in a Sierra Leon prison between 1999 and 2000 for smuggling arms to rebels from the Revolutionary United Front (RUF).

http://news.russiannewsroom.com/details.aspx?item=19602

By juancegomez on May 28, 2008, 12:52 in Politics & the war.

aztec says on May 28, 2008, 13:21:

That is what happens when you surrender your National Sovereignty to Brussels!

0 funny, 0 helpful.

Cerealkiller says on May 28, 2008, 13:23:

Im pretty sure this has little to do with Human rights and a lot to do with who and what Klein knows.

Conservatives are not necessarily stupid, but most stupid people are conservatives -John Stuart Mill

0 funny, 0 helpful.

Tinto (Moderator) says on May 28, 2008, 13:26:

Did Russia sign a treaty where they accept the jurisdiction of the European Court of Human Rights?

0 funny, 0 helpful.

juancegomez says on May 28, 2008, 13:35:

Cerealkiller: Well, why would the EU Court of Human Rights be concerned about that? I'd like to know...

Tinto: No idea, but I'd like to know too. Still, even if it's his lawyer who's saying that...if there is no such jurisdiction, then the extradition should continue win spite of it. If not...

0 funny, 0 helpful.

fecherklyn says on May 28, 2008, 15:35:

Tinto,

The European Court of Human Rights is part of the Council of Europe which comprises around 50 european states INCLUDING Russia. It has nothing to do directly with the EUU.

It would be interesting to know how long it took for the Human Rights Commission to judge this case. Usually it takes a LONGGGGGG time. I am part of a class action being brought before the Council of Europe and we have been waiting 3 years so far and there is still nothing definative on the horizon.

0 funny, 0 helpful.

vladimiro says on May 29, 2008, 06:17:

According to wikipedia:

"If extradited, Klein faces a 10 year and 8 months sentence in a Colombian prison, with a bail of 22 Colombian minimum salaries."

Minimum salary in Colombia is not more than $200/mo USD, so his bail is set at around $4K USD(or 40K if they mean yearly salary), not exactly a sum that would be hard for an international arms dealer to come by if he wanted to post bail and flee :)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yair_Klein

0 funny, 0 helpful.

Tinto (Moderator) says on May 29, 2008, 07:50:

Thanks for the info on the European Council.

Unions, Councils and Commissions and under those a million committees and agencies... it must be hard to keep track of what's what and who's the boss.

0 funny, 0 helpful.