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| Europe | |
| German court blocks extradition of Islamist Turk | |
| 2003-08-30 | |
A German court rejected Turkey's bid to extradite a militant Islamist on treason charges, saying it feared he would not face a fair trial if he returned home. Turkey accuses Metin Kaplan of planning a failed plot to crash an aircraft loaded with explosives into the mausoleum of Kemal Ataturk, founder of the modern Turkish state, in 1998. The administrative court in the western city of Cologne said on Wednesday it had turned down Turkey's bid to extradite Kaplan, citing concern that a Turkish court might use information extracted from witnesses who had been tortured. The ruling upholds a decision from a lower court in May that blocked Kaplan's extradition because of doubts about whether a trial in Turkey would comply with international law. A spokesman for Interior Minister Otto Schily said the German government did not consider Kaplan welcome in Germany and would do everything it could to ensure his expulsion. He said the ministry was examining the court ruling. Kaplan, who wants to establish an Islamic state in Turkey, is the leader of a Cologne-based group known as the Kalifatstaat (Caliphate State) that was banned in 2001 to stop what the German government called its extremist activities.
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| Posted by:Fred Pruitt |
| #9 .com is right, nothing will deter insanity. But McViegh won't be blowing up anymore children, now, will he? |
| Posted by: R. McLeod 2003-8-30 7:54:27 PM |
| #8 Nothing deters insanity. However, the recidivism rate, including coordination, planning, etc. for further attacks even from a prison cell (e.g. AbdulRahman in first NYC WTC bombing), is a perfect zero with capital punishment. |
| Posted by: .com 2003-8-30 6:45:45 PM |
| #7 "The fact is the death penalty has helped keep terrorist out of the US. " *blink* How is that a fact? Neither Timothy Mcveigh, nor the Islamist fundies were either deterred or "kept out" of the US. And Bulldog mentioned the other countries, such as Russia and Indonesia - not much of a deterrent there either. And the rest of your post Charles is ten times more incoherent than the worst of *my* rants. |
| Posted by: Aris Katsaris 2003-8-30 3:40:02 PM |
| #6 Actually this is a court decision (that can and will be appealed), not the German government's idea. Interior Minister Schily wants to send Kaplan on his way as soon as possible and the German press (except the far left) is rather upset about the court's ruling. The background of this decision is that some of Kaplan's friends captured by the Turks in 1998 were in fact tortured and denied a "fair trial". The German court could not accept that Kaplan would be tried in Turkey with evidence and confessions used that stem from torture. This would go against the European Human Rights Convention as well. Germany is not a safe haven for terrorists. We have just decided not to bend our laws because of them. Not yet, maybe. You bet Kaplan will be watched day and night. And I guess we soon get some "guarantees" from Turkey and he'll be sent there. And then he might not be watched THAT closely by Germans. |
| Posted by: True German Ally 2003-8-30 3:01:16 PM |
| #5 Concern for Greek civilians? The greater the carnage amongst infidels, the better. I don't see the logic in claiming that the death penalty deters Islamist nutjobs whatsoever. Russia, the US, Indonesia: all have the death penalty and have been the locations of the most destructive acts of terrorism outside the Middle East in recent years. The death sentence cannot by its nature be a disincentive for a death-wishing fanatic, if anything it's a guarantee of martyrdom and the heavenly 72 flatchestees. Many European countries are guilty of harbouring terrorists and their cells (including my own), but the problems allowing that to happen are lack of political resolve to confront the issue and/or inadequate anti-terrorism legislation, coupled with pathetically short sentences when the few who are caught are eventually brought to justice. The type of sentence passed down is irrelevant if terrorists are permitted to remain at large. |
| Posted by: Bulldog 2003-8-30 2:43:47 PM |
| #4 The fact is the death penalty has helped keep terrorist out of the US. They still attack us by gathering explosives and training at base camps in other countries. It's easier to attack someone when it's a one-way trip. Which is why the EU are so idiotic. Germany is a safe haven for terrorists, as well as the rest of the EU. You don't have to worry about being killed before reaching your target, just old age. The Terrorists have started attacking their own people, so it's only a matter of time before they attack the EU like they did us. You live in Greece, right? Guess where the 2004 olympics are being held? That's right, Greece. Jews, Americans, British, and everyone else will be there. I wonder if the terrorists will have any concern for the Greek civilians watching the events? |
| Posted by: Charles 2003-8-30 1:56:47 PM |
| #3 The existence of the death penalty hasn't spared the US from terrorist attacks by Islamists, I don't see how you can believe that it would do anything to spare Germany or any of the rest of Europe (or Turkey for that matter) from any such attacks. |
| Posted by: Aris Katsaris 2003-8-30 1:42:48 PM |
| #2 I'm sure TGA will have more news on this issue later. At the moment, I'm sure something else is on the minds of the court system in Germany - the fact that Kaplan could well lose his head (literally) if sent back to Turkey. The Germans do not like capital punishment. In the meantime, the Germans had better watch Herr Kaplan closely, or some Turkish "militant" (I.E., one of Turkey's SF troops) might just slip in and take care of the issue once and for all. There comes a time when nation-states need to grow up, and the current clash of civilizations is one such time. This man is not a "criminal" that can be "rehabilitated" - he is a reactionary of the first cloth, hell-bent (literally) on forcing HIS will upon the entire world. He not only should be snuffed, but his body imbedded in clear epoxy and put on display at Frankfurt International Airport, as a reminder of what happens to jihadis in Germany. Otherwise, the problems will continue to escalate into a shooting war that will kill tens of thousands. |
| Posted by: Old Patriot 2003-8-30 1:09:26 PM |
| #1 His name is Kaplan? That's a little odd.... |
| Posted by: Brian 2003-8-30 12:48:12 PM |