Uzbek President Asks Czech Authorities To Extradite Terrorist Salai Madaminov

Uzbekistan has already asked the Czech Republic to extradite terrorist Salai Madaminov, who was detained by Czech authorities, President Islam Karimov of Uzbekistan said here today. On September 17, 2001 the Uzbek Supreme Court sentenced Madaminov to 15.5 years in a maximum-security prison camp in absentia, also confiscating his property. Madaminov, as well as 11 other defendants, were charged with attempting to overthrow the Uzbek constitutional system, plotting to assassinate President Karimov, staging numerous terrorist acts, murdering people and attempting to incite inter-ethnic strife. They were also charged with other grave crimes. Notorious field commander Juma Namangani, who was recently killed in Afghanistan, also figured in the case. The court investigation established that the defendants had killed more than 50 people; an explosion killed 16 of their victims in central Tashkent in 1999. Madaminov was a terrorist ring-leader, Uzbek law-enforcement agencies say. Madaminov, who is wanted by Interpol, was detained in a neutral zone of the Ruzine international airport in Prague. He arrived in Prague from Amsterdam at the invitation of Radio Liberty/Free Europe. Madaminov was detained in line with a city-court warrant. Besides, the court alone can decide on his subsequent extradition elsewhere.