Colombia refuses to extradite Farc rebel to US for first time
Colombia refuses to extradite Farc rebel to US for first time
Juan Vicente Carvajal, who is accused of drug trafficking, will not be turned over as peace talks deadline nears, according to resolution by Colombian president
Reuters in Bogotá
Tuesday 1 December 2015 13.11 EST
Colombia has for the first time declined to extradite to the United States a Marxist Farc rebel accused of drug trafficking, as peace negotiations approach a March deadline.
The South American country will not turn over Juan Vicente Carvajal, known by his nom de guerre Misael, a fighter with the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (Farc), to a court in New York, according to an executive resolution by President Juan Manuel Santos.
The order was signed by Santos in October and made public on Tuesday. It marks the first time a rebel extradition has been refused by Colombia for reasons directly related to the three-year-old peace talks, which are taking place in Havana, Cuba. The two sides have set a 23 March deadline for the signing of a final accord.
Colombia has in the past extradited Farc members for crimes including drug trafficking and kidnapping, among them high-ranking member Simón Trinidad, whose release has been demanded by the guerrilla group.
More:
http://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/dec/01/colombia-farc-rebel-extradite-united-states
LBN:
http://www.democraticunderground.com/10141276080
[center]
FARC Juan Vicente Carvajal AKA "Misael"
Misael
President Juan Manuel Santos, Colombia, President Raúl Castro, Jefe máximo de las FARC, Timoleón Jiménez, AKA "Timochenko."[/center]