Refugee wins last-minute extradition reprieve after trying to return from holiday
Source: The Guardian
Refugee wins last-minute extradition reprieve after trying to return from holiday
Russian man, who claimed asylum in UK, was arrested at Palermo airport and told he would be sent back to country of origin
Diane Taylor
Tue 29 Aug 2023 07.00 BST
Last modified on Tue 29 Aug 2023 12.18 BST
A refugee who was threatened with extradition when he tried to return to Britain after holidaying in Italy has won a last-minute reprieve.
The Russian man, who has refugee status in the UK, was threatened with extradition to his home country when he tried to return at the end of a week’s holiday in Palermo.
Refugees have the right to travel internationally using their refugee travel documents but this case raises serious concerns about how safe it is to do so.
The man, 50, a human rights activist who cannot be named for security reasons, was due to board a flight back to the UK on Wednesday 23 August with his wife and nine-year-old son.
After initially passing through security checks at Palermo airport, he was arrested and taken to Sicily’s Pagliarelli prison. He was threatened with being extradited to Russia based on a 2017 warrant issued by a regional office of the Russian interior ministry.
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Read more: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/aug/29/refugee-wins-last-minute-extradition-reprieve-after-trying-to-return-from-holiday
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