Member of Parliament Kristýna Zelienková, Deputy Head of the Committee on European Affairs in the Czech Parliament and a member of the Czech delegation to the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, has sent a letter to French Prime Minister Manuel Valls regarding the case of Kazakh opposition leader Mukhtar Ablyazov, who is awaiting extradition in a French prison. She points out that the case of Tatiana Paraskevich, a former employee of the dissident and currently in the Czech Republic, is the proof of the political motive behind Kazakhstan’s persecution of Ablyazov.
Zelienková’s letter refers to the position of the international community and the media, which reports that Ablyazov — a representative of Kazakhstan’s opposition outside the country — is now awaiting a final decision on his possible extradition from France to Russia. The decision is currently being considered by the State Council, to which Ablyazov has appealed.
“In turn, my country is following with great concern the case of Mukhtar Ablyazov’s former colleague Tatyana Paraskevich, who in 2014, after a two-year struggle, was granted protection in the Czech Republic and who today may again face extradition to Russia,” writes Zelienková, adding, “In February 2014, the Czech authorities decided that Paraskevich’s extradition to Russia was dangerous because the request for her extradition was politically motivated, both because of the widespread persecution campaign targeting Mukhtar Ablyazov and his colleagues, and because of the poor state of human rights in Russia and serious concerns that she could be subjected to ill-treatment and torture if detained.”
The Czech MP notes that, just as in the Ablyazov case in France and in the Paraskevich case in the Czech Republic and several other European countries, Kazakhstan is using a law firm and lobbyists engaged by the state-controlled BTA Bank to pressure the judiciary (among others) to seek the extradition of Ablyazov and his former colleagues to Kazakhstan, Russia or Ukraine. Akorda (the residence of the President of the Republic of Kazakhstan) frequently takes bribes and makes suspicious offers to local investigative authorities in order to obtain a so-called Interpol “red notice” that would allow for the detention and extradition of the opposition activist.
The member of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe draws attention to the fact that PACE is currently working on a report that focuses on the abuse of Interpol mechanisms by non-democratic countries to persecute their political opponents, journalists and activists seeking asylum abroad.“Taking all this into account, I would like to express my deep concern about the fate of Mukhtar Ablyazov and call for reconsideration of the signing of the decree on his extradition.Recent news from Russia, especially about illegally detained Ukrainian citizens, as well as Russians who are members of the opposition, who have been tortured, imprisoned or killed, make it clear that Ablyazov would face ill-treatment if extradited,” Zelienková emphasises.
Cover photo: neovlivni.cz
