Georgia's Supreme Court on Friday ruled that three Chechen rebels should not be extradited to Russia, saying they should stand trial in Georgia instead. The Chechens were among a group of 13 suspected rebels detained with arms on the Russian-Georgian border last August. Georgia has extradited five of them to Moscow, but the drawn-out legal process has angered Russian officials, who accuse Georgia of turning a blind eye to Chechen rebel activity on its territory. The Supreme Court on Friday annulled the decision by the Georgian Prosecutor's Office to extradite Husein Alkhanov and Rustam Elkhadzhiev. The court sent the case against the third, Ruslan Gilogayev, back to prosecutors for further investigation. Court officials said the ruling was based on the Geneva Convention which forbids extradition until it is clearly established whether or not the person holds refugee status. The court, led by Justice Nino Gvenetadze, noted that the Chechens must be held responsible for breaching the border with weapons, but said they should be tried on Georgian territory.
| "We're refugees! Stick 'em up and gimme yer dough!" |
|