DUSHANBE, April 5, 2013, Asia-Plus – The Ukrainian authorities have not complied with Tajikistan’s request for extradition of former Tajik Prime Minister Abdumalik Abdullojonov and he has been released from the Kiev pretrial detention facility, Russian news agency Interfax reports referring to an official source at the Kiev regional prosecutor’s office.
Russia’s media outlet
Kommersant
reported yesterday that Ukraine will not extradite Abdumalik Abdullojonov to Tajikistan.
“Ukraine will not comply with Tajikistan’s request for extradition of Abdumalik Abdullojonov,” an official source at Ukrainian law enforcement authorities was quoted as saying by
Kommersant
.
The source was quoted as saying that the decision is based on the fact that Abdullojonov has political asylum status in the United States.
“Ukraine observes the provisions of the UN Refugee Convention, and therefore, if we had extradited him, we would have violated norms of this document, in particular Article 33. Therefore, we will not extradite him to Tajikistan,” the source was quoted as saying.
We will recall that Abdumalik Abdullojonov, 64, was arrested at Borispol Airport near Kiev on February 5 on an international warrant after arriving from the United States.
The Borispol court ruled on February 7 that Abdumalik Abdullojonov can be held in detention for up to 40 days while authorities await documents from Dushanbe regarding his possible extradition.
The Prosecutor-General’s Office of Tajikistan has sent an extradition request for Abdumalik Abdullojonov to the Ukrainian authorities on February 18.
A court in Kiev’s Shevchenko district ruled on March 15 that Abdumalik Abdullojonov can be held in detention for up to 12 months while the issue of his possible extradition to Tajikistan is decided.
On March 21, Kiev’s appeals court reportedly upheld a verdict extending detention for Abdumalik Abdullojonov.
Abdumalik Abdullojonov, who challenged Tajik President Emomali Rahmon in the 1994 presidential election, is accused by the Tajik authorities of involvement in a 1996 assassination attempt on President Rahmon. He is also accused of backing a 1998 militant attack in Sughd Province, and of organized crime and terrorism-related offenses.
Abdumalik Abdullojonov denies these charges.
Abdullojonov was granted political asylum in the United States in June 1999 and he ahs lived in the United States for the past decade.
