Ilyas Akhmadov, one of Chechnya's separatist leaders, has officially been granted asylum in the United States, RIA Novosti has learnt from the American Committee for Peace in Chechnya, co-chaired by former US national security adviser Zbigniew Brzezinski and former US secretary of state Alexander Hague.
| Why would we do something that stoopid? |
According to the committee, the decision on granting asylum to Akhmadov was taken by an immigration court in Boston, Massachusetts, which was immediately appealed by the US government. "The appeal has now been rejected and the decision on granting asylum is now final," the committee said.
| That makes more sense. Massachussetts courts, rather than the U.S. gummint, have given him asylum... |
The committee confirmed that not long ago Akhmadov was appointed to a post at the US non-governmental foundation National Endowment for Democracy and now plans to move to Washington for permanent residence and work. National Endowment for Democracy confirmed that Akhmadov has been awarded a research grant under the Reagan-Fascell Democracy Fellows Program and hence is entitled to monthly allowance, medical insurance as well as reimbursement of transportation costs. In December last year Russian Foreign Ministry urged the US to take Russia's position in consideration by examining Akhmadov's application. "The US side is informed about our attitude towards that terrorist accomplice," the ministry's spokesman Aleksandr Yakovenko told the press then. Russian law enforcers claimed to have evidence of Akhmadov's ties to Chechen separatist leaders Aslan Maskhadov and Shamil Basayev, who has been placed on the international wanted list. In the Aslan Maskhadov government Ilyas Akhmadov held the post of the foreign minister of the self-styled republic of Ichkeria. |