Harlem Desir, French member of the European Parliament's...

Harlem Desir, French member of the European Parliament's Socialist Group, expressed concern that envisaging the extradition of Mr Akhmed Zakaiev, who was arrested at Russia's request when representing the Chechen President Mashkadov at the World Congress of Chechens in Copenhagen, as the Danish government seems to be doing, is unacceptable coming from a country of the Union, and all the more coming from the country holding Council Presidency, as Russia has only suspended, but not abolished, the death penalty. In his view, the EU Member States should not give their support to the Russian policy of repression and negation of the rights of the Chechen people, at a time when bombing, displacement and massacres of the civilian population are intensifying.