| Submit your comments on this article |
| Caucasus |
| Georgia unlikely to grant political asylum to detained Chechen rebels |
| 2002-12-22 |
| There are no grounds for Georgia's granting political asylum to the Chechen militants whose extradition is sought by Russia, Deputy Prosecutor General Sergei Fridinsky told Interfax. "The law enforcement agencies of Russia and Georgia are prosecuting these people for criminal rather than political reasons," Fridinsky pointed out. "Whether these goobers consider killing people a political act or not..." The six Chechens were detained while carrying arms on the Russian-Georgian border. The Prosecutor General's Offices of both Russia and Georgia launched criminal cases against the suspects. Fridinsky denied earlier reports that the militants asked for political asylum in Georgia. "According to our information, no official application to this effect was filed," he said. The Russian Prosecutor General's Office has sought extradition of six of 13 Chechen militants who were detained on the Russia-Georgian border in August 2002. Five members of the group were handed over to Russia. Two of the fighters are Georgian citizens and will face trail in Georgia. Apparently they aren't the brightest of Georgian citizens... |
| Posted by:Fred Pruitt |