Italian Appeals Court Denies Extradition of Belarusian Woman Detained on Interpol Warrant
In early February, Karina Zdanevich-Spykhalskaya was detained at the airport on an arrest warrant issued in 2021 by the Deputy Prosecutor of Brest.
The Brescia Court of Appeal rejected Belarus's request for the extradition of Karina Zdanevich-Spykhalskaya, a citizen of Belarus and Poland. She was detained in February on an Interpol warrant, Reform.news writes.
“I thank the judges for understanding the situation and for allowing me to return to Poland, the country where I have lived my entire life and where my two children live. With these Interpol arrest warrants, Belarus is persecuting those who oppose the regime, and the next step should be their cancellation to prevent such situations from recurring in the future,” she told Il Giorno.
In early February, Karina was detained at Orio al Serio Airport on an arrest warrant issued in 2021 by the Deputy Prosecutor of Brest. She is accused of "intentional economic dishonesty," i.e., bankruptcy, allegedly committed in 2017-2018. The woman links this warrant to her political activism in 2020.
Karina spent 5 days in prison in Bergamo, then lived with acquaintances in Milan under the obligation to appear when summoned. In mid-May, her restrictive measure was annulled, and she returned to her family in Poland. However, she still had obligations to attend court hearings.
On June 11, the consideration of her case in the Italian court concluded with a refusal of extradition.
Polish Vice-Consul in Milan, Ewa Adamczyk, was present at the hearing alongside Karina Zdanevich-Spykhalskaya.
Furthermore, lawyers for the Belarusian democratic forces presented a conclusion to the court stating that in the event of extradition, the woman would face "torture, inhuman or degrading treatment, and persecution for her political views."
Comments
Нават калі сапраўды яна памахала аднойчы сцягам за мяжой у 2020 дзеля фотачкі, то якая небяспека для ўлады ў Беларусі ад таго?
Як паслухаць гэтых прайдзісветаў, дык кожны другі быў актывістам.
Агідна