In a further twist to an extradition case that has already been in and out of court for four years, Poland's Supreme Court has ruled that a Chechen insurgent must undergo a retrial, countering an earlier ruling by a district judge that the defendant should not be extradited to Russia.
The 41 year-old Adam Mamilov was originally accused by the General Prosecutor in South Ossetia – a break away state from Georgia in the south Caucuses - of abducting six inhabitants of a Chechen village in 1996 during what is known First Chechen War (1994 – 96).
Mamilov ultimately made his way to Poland, where he sought refugee status.
“Russia's allegations against me are untrue,” he told the Supreme Court, reiterating claims that he has made since the outset of the case.
“I am really glad that the case will be revised. I hope that there will be no extradition,” he added.
After being refused refugee status in Poland Mamilov appealed to the European Court of Human Rights, which ordered in 2007 to stay the extradition until the complaint is examined.
In June last year, a district court in Bielsko-Biala, southern Poland, ruled that extradition could not be permitted as it was conceivable that the defendant's fundamental rights might not be respected in a Russian court.
The Supreme Court, Tuesday, called for evidence to be collected into case to ascertain whether Mamilov’s are true.The case will be revised by the Court of Appeal in Lublin, south east Poland.
The case echoes another more widely publicised case involving former leader of the Chechen government-in-exile, Akhmed Zakayev.
Believing Poland to be a safe haven for Chechens - a Warsaw roundabout was named in tribute to a Chechen rebel in 2005 - Akhmed Zakayev was arrested after flying to Warsaw for a conference in September 2010.
A court in Warsaw ruled initially that as an EU state, Poland could not extradite Zakayev as the UK had given him asylum status.
The Chechen figurehead was able to fly back to Britain the same month. (nh/pg)