State Duma Worried About Double Standards in Extradition of Terrorists

Two profile committees of the parliament's lower house, on security and on international affairs, have prepared a draft resolution called "On the Address of the State Duma to the Parliaments of Countries of the World in Connection with the Importance of Developing International Cooperation Concerning Extradition of Persons Involved in Terrorist Activity," reported the press service of the State Duma.

In the draft, the deputies voiced "serious concern about the way of handling issues dealing with extradition of people involved in terrorist acts on the territory of Russia" and expressed indignation over the manner the Danish authorities had refused to extradite Akhmed Zakayev, a Chechen militant leader who faces terrorist charges and is included in the international wanted list.

In the deputies' opinion, such behavior "runs counter to the United Nations Security Council's resolution No. 1373 and the Nov. 11, 2002 Russia-European Union joint statement on the struggle against terrorism." The deputies also criticized the Dec. 19, 2002 EU resolution, which welcomes Denmark's decision not to extradite Zakayev /who was described as "Chechnya's leading politician"/ to the Russian side.