A Thai court has rejected a US request for the extradition of Viktor Bout, an alleged Russian arms dealer dubbed the "Merchant of Death".
The United States wants to put Mr Bout on trial on charges of supplying weapons to Colombian Farc rebels.
"The US charges are not applicable under Thai law," said a Thai judge, who described the US case against Mr Bout as political, not criminal.
Mr Bout was arrested in a Thai-US sting operation in March 2008.
"This is a political case. The Farc is fighting for a political cause and is not a criminal gang. Thailand does not recognise the Farc as a terrorist group," said the judge delivering the verdict at Bangkok's Criminal Court.
The Unites States has 72 hours in which to appeal against the ruling, during which time Mr Bout, 42, will remain in detention.
A decision in the extradition hearing has been repeatedly delayed by a high turnover of defence lawyers.
United Nations agencies and several Western governments have reported that Mr Bout has delivered arms to dictators and warlords in Africa and Afghanistan, allegedly breaking several UN arms embargoes in the process.
He faces US charges of conspiring to kill Americans, conspiring to provide material support to terrorists and conspiring to acquire and use an anti-aircraft missile. He could face a maximum penalty of life in prison if convicted in the US.
His lawyer argues that Mr Bout would not receive a fair trial in the US, where officials say he supplied arms to dictators, al-Qaeda and the Taleban.
He is being held in a maximum security prison outside Bangkok.
Source - BBC World News
Well, that's unusual, I'll say that, refusing the US a extradition request, especially for this guy.
There's a message in this somewhere but it's a ballsy move by the Thais. I wonder if the Russians have made a back scene move and the Thais don't want to upset Boris. Must say it's unexpected and full of mystery, there is much to be infered from this story. I thought he'd be handed over, reminds me of the ending scene to that Nick Cage film "The Lord of War".
spitfire wrote:I wonder if the Russians have made a back scene move
They certainly have in Pattaya. There were plenty of gaping holes in the market which they are filling on a daily basis. It can cause a lot of suffering in the dry season.
spitfire wrote:
"This is a political case. The Farc is fighting for a political cause and is not a criminal gang. Thailand does not recognise the Farc as a terrorist group," said the judge delivering the verdict at Bangkok's Criminal Court.
Excuse me!! Kidnapping people and holding them hostage in the jungle for years is not a terrorist activity? Murder and bombing is not a criminal activity?
What happens when the Red shirts turn into the Thai Rouge? Still a political cause? How about the separatists in the South, a political cause? The Thai military seems to be killing them on a regular basis.
Bet ya this judge is overturned before the weekend. Only the PM and Cabinet can speak for Thailand in the manner this judge did, he doesn't have the authority. Pete
PS: Yes I know, you can accuse the USA of the same things I stated above. Hopefully the judge did not make his decision based upon a 'big dog', 'little dog' mentality.
Last edited by PeteC on Tue Aug 11, 2009 8:40 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed. Source
spitfire wrote:I wonder if the Russians have made a back scene move
They certainly have in Pattaya. There were plenty of gaping holes in the market which they are filling on a daily basis. It can cause a lot of suffering in the dry season.SJ
Yes, they probably contributed to the judge's retirement fund. The Russians are in a tit for tat mood with the USA at the moment ever since the Georgia/NATO issues started, and the eastern EU missile program was proposed.
It wouldn't surprise me if they are behind this in some way. Pete
Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed. Source
Well, that's unusual, I'll say that, refusing the US a extradition request, especially for this guy.
There's a message in this somewhere but it's a ballsy move by the Thais
.
Ain't that the truth! I immediately discount the word terrorist, or terrorism...one man's terrorist is another man's freedom fighter, the word(s) has so many meanings that it has none. I lived in Colombia for a spell back in 1981 and became familiar with the FARC. It's an old school Marxist "liberation" group that has been active in Colombia since at least the 1960's, if not the 50's. It's been in an armed 'political' struggle with the Colombian government for 50 years. The US has always viewed such groups in Latin America as a threat to it's hegemony in the region. Over the years both the FARC and the US backed Colombian government have upped the ante violence wise, and many civilians have died, or been terrorised, if you will, at the hand of both sides.
I'm not advocating anything here, just adding a bit of backstory.
I find the judge's ruling to be astonishingly candid (if that's the right word) given the powers that be, and the taboo surrounding the meaningless word terrorism.
Interesting indeed.
I too suspect this ruling will be overturned in short order.
As for the Russians, maybe the judge is just an old-school reader of marxist historioghraghy...if so, good on him, he would seem to have retained the strength of his convictions over the last number of lean decades!
shunpike wrote:maybe the judge is just an old-school reader of marxist historioghraghy...if so, good on him, he would seem to have retained the strength of his convictions over the last number of lean decades!
But I thought judges were meant to uphold and apply the law and not defer to the strengths of their convictions?
shunpike wrote: I lived in Colombia for a spell back in 1981 and became familiar with the FARC. It's an old school Marxist "liberation" group that has been active in Colombia since at least the 1960's, if not the 50's. It's been in an armed 'political' struggle with the Colombian government for 50 years. The US has always viewed such groups in Latin America as a threat to it's hegemony in the region. Over the years both the FARC and the US backed Colombian government have upped the ante violence wise, and many civilians have died, or been terrorised, if you will, at the hand of both sides.
I'm not advocating anything here, just adding a bit of backstory.
They're back in the news now, it was found that some weapons captured from the FARC were sold by the Swiss to Venezuela. This after Hugo Chavez swore that he didn't sell any weapons to the FARC.
Colombia signed a agreement to let the US use their bases so Chavez is now using that to raise some hell again
They're back in the news now, it was found that some weapons captured from the FARC were sold by the Swiss to Venezuela. This after Hugo Chavez swore that he didn't sell any weapons to the FARC.
Colombia signed a agreement to let the US use their bases so Chavez is now using that to raise some hell again
...and the merry waltz continues. As a further aside, IIRC, Caracas and Bogota have been sneering at each other on and off since the time of Simon Bolivar..
thats international justice for you.... The real Lord of War walks free, laughing his ass off as he makes his way to the voda club. Nasdrovvya comrades!
meanwhile, across the world in the UK another ultra dangerous threat to life, liberty and the American way is to be extradited despite publc outcry, and looks to face a long strech in isolation as he is a threat to the human race....
Gary McKinnon, Asperger's Syndrome sufferer, UFO investigator, computer geek and international terrorist.
spend more time on the real threats next time eh?
"Science flew men to the moon. Religion flew men into buildings."
Thailand's latest judicial faux pas
By The Nation
Published on August 15, 2009
By refusing to extradite Victor Bout, the Bangkok court has not just legitimised terrorist groups; it has also violated UN resolutions
On the surface, the court decision earlier this week to deny the extradition of world-famous mercenary Viktor Bout seemed to be a logical one. Bout had done Thailand no harm, the court argued. He might be a bad guy somewhere out there, arming rebels, outlawed groups and political organisations, except these people have never hurt Thailand.
However, upon deeper scrutiny, the ruling was faulty on every count and will end up having huge ramifications on the Thai national interest, especially on issues pertaining to security in the South as well as arms-smuggling and drug-trafficking among other things. Sooner or later, the country may end up having to pay a high price for this verdict.
It is unbelievable that the court could see the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (Farc) as anything but criminal. The judges must have been naive to think Farc a political organisation, not a criminal group that kidnaps, kills, bombs and terrorises.
In Latin America, Farc is considered a narco-terrorist group, outlawed by the United Nations and the West. Entertaining this reckless interpretation could imply that in the future a person or organisation, such as the Pattani United Liberation Organisation or Barisan Revolusi Nasional, could get away with openly supporting and arming insurgent groups in Thailand's southern provinces.
Furthermore, the court's decision also completely ignored the fact that Farc is one of the most famous drug-trafficking rings in Latin America and has tight control on parts of Colombia, where its operations are currently based. The Colombian government's full-scale war against Farc seems not to have touched it.
In a similar circumstance, along the Thai border, especially the porous Thai-Burmese border, many drug-trafficking armies, such as the United Wa State Army, have been a menace to Thailand. The ruling suggested, sadly in a rather straightforward manner, that doing business with such groups is also legitimate.
Again, when it comes to the notion of "dual criminality", the court also seems to be rather confused. Dual criminality is underlined in all extradition treaties to ensure that the reasons for extradition are serious, not frivolous, and that it comes under the jurisdiction of the Thai court.
Unfortunately, this court thinks that an act is only a crime if it takes place in Thailand, making irrelevant its jurisdiction over a crime committed elsewhere. Under the restricted nature of this ruling, it has made extradition essentially impossible.
So we are creating a new messy situation for ourselves. At the moment, the government is actively pursuing fugitive former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra and is trying to set up extradition agreements with other countries. Now that it has more or less legitimised Farc, it seems that the Thai government has no right to seek extradition for any wanted criminals, such as Pin Jakkapark or Rakesh Saxena.
Bout is a dangerous man. Just his nickname, the "Merchant of Death", sends shivers up people's spines and stirs up nightmares everywhere, except perhaps in the Thai courts. He is one of the world's leading arms-smugglers selling weapons to countries under UN embargo.
During his two decades of wheeling and dealing, his customers are believed to have included outlawed governments, armed factions and terrorists in the Philippines, Lebanon, Afghanistan and, especially, in some of the more violent and lawless countries in Africa.
He has been linked to some of the world's most notorious conflicts, allegedly supplying arms to former Liberian dictator Charles Taylor and Libyan leader Mu'ammar Gadhafi.
Many UN resolutions and travel bans were imposed on him for his role in arming people in areas of conflict. These included UN Security Council Resolution 1343 in 2001 and resolution 1521 in 2003. Other references include the UN Resolutions 1171, 1295, 1306, 1309, 1478, 1521 and 1556.
By freeing Bout, Thailand is actually violating these very UN resolutions, which it had pledged to comply with as a member of UN community.
The United States is seeking Bout's extradition on charges that he conspired to sell millions of dollars' worth of weapons to Farc, including more than 700 surface-to-air missiles, thousands of guns, hi-tech helicopters and planes outfitted with grenade-launchers and missiles. He has been indicted on four terrorism-related charges in a court in New York and could face life in jail.
Prosecutors have already decided to appeal the Bangkok Court's ruling, while the Foreign Ministry has contacted the Office of the Attorney General to help fight it.
We hope that our courts will come to their senses in the near future and ensure that Bout has no chance to sell any more weapons or be responsible for deaths again.
Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed. Source
Bangkok, Thailand (CNN) -- A Thai appeals court ruled Friday that suspected international arms dealer Viktor Bout can be extradited to the United States.
The court ruled that the extradition process must be completed within three months, otherwise Bout will be released.
Bout was shackled in chains during the hearing. His wife and daughter were also in the courtroom. After the ruling, they stood up and cried.
Friday's ruling came after heavy lobbying from U.S. officials.
Court grants extradition of 'Merchant of Death'
Published: 20/08/2010 at 12:30 PM
Online news: World
The Appeal Court on Friday granted a request by the United States to extradite Viktor Bout, the Russian alleged arms dealer dubbed the "Merchant of Death", on terrorism charges.
Mr Bout, said to have inspired the Hollywood film "Lord of War" starring Nicolas Cage, has been fighting extradition since his March 2008 arrest in Bangkok in a sting operation involving US agents.
He faces life in prison if convicted in the United States on terrorism charges, including conspiracy to kill US officers or employees and conspiracy to acquire and use an anti-aircraft missile.
His young daughter -- who attended the hearing accompanied by his wife -- broke down in tears after the court delivered its ruling.
"The court has decided to detain him for extradition to the US," judge Jitakorn Patanasiri said, overturning a ruling last year by a lower court which had refused to send him to the United States.
"This case is not political, it is a criminal matter," the judge said.
The Russian refused to talk to journalists as he was led out of court shackled at his wrists and ankles.
The United States had pressed Thailand to hand over Bout.
The US State Department called in Thai ambassador Don Pramudwinai this week "to emphasise that this is of the highest priority of the United States", spokesman Philip Crowley told reporters on Thursday.
"We believe that we've presented significant evidence to justify his extradition to the United States," he said.
US lawmakers had urged the ambassador to let authorities in Bangkok know that rejecting the request would harm ties with Washington and said the kingdom's judicial handling of the case had not been "fair and transparent".
"We find the potential release of a man responsible for countless deaths of innocents in Africa and elsewhere simply astounding," said the US group, led by House Foreign Affairs Committee member Howard Berman, a Democrat.
"More so as there is little doubt that he would return to his deadly trade, arming those targeting US and Thai interests around the globe," they said in a letter delivered to the Thai embassy in Washington on Wednesday.
A US indictment accuses Mr Bout of using a fleet of cargo planes to transport weapons and military equipment to Africa, South America and the Middle East.
During an undercover operation, he allegedly agreed to supply surface-to-air missiles to US anti-drug agents posing as rebels from Colombia's Marxist FARC group, which Washington considers a terrorist organisation.
The Criminal Court ruled in August 2009 that it did not have the authority to extradite himt because FARC was not listed as a terrorist group in Thailand -- a decision praised by Moscow.
The 43-year-old former Soviet air force pilot, speaks six languages and is known by eight different aliases.
The nickname "Merchant of Death" was coined by a former British foreign office minister and also used for a 2007 book on Mr Bout's alleged activities.
Mr Bout, who has been held at a maximum-security prison outside Bangkok, has denied the charges and says that he ran a legitimate air cargo busines
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