Protest against extradition of Israeli who trained Escobar militia

[Scurrilous]

Friends, former soldiers of IDF reserve officer sentenced to prison by Colombian court, after being convicted of training Pablo Escobar's militia men, rally to demand Israel prevent his extradition from Moscow

http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3544752,00.html

<snip>

"'Yair Klein risked his life saving us – now we must now save him' was the battle cry sounded by dozens of reservist paratroopers as they rallied outside the Foreign Affairs Ministry in Jerusalem on Sunday morning to protest the extradition of Lt. Col. (res) Yair Klein, who is currently being detained in Moscow, to Colombia.

Klein was convicted of training the private army of infamous drug lord Pablo Escobar. In particular, Klein was accused of teaching the militia troops how to carry out high-profile killings such as the 1989 assassination of anti-cartel presidential candidate Luis Carlos Galán.

He was convicted and sentenced in-absentia to a 10-year prison term in 2001 by a Colombian court. Since that time, the Colombian police have launched a manhunt for the fugitive 61-year-old, who in 2007 made Interpol's list of wanted criminal.

Last August, Klein was finally spotted and arrested at a Moscow airport by Russian authorities.

The Russian Supreme Court will assemble on Wednesday to discuss the appeal filed by Attorney Mordechai Tzivin regarding Colombia's request for Klein’s extradition."


From the archives:

Russia to extradite Israeli wanted by Colombia (03-12-08)

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=102&topic_id=3222606

[azurnoir]

1. Interesting story

been reading up Yair Klein and his company Spearhead, came on it following the Charles Taylor trial and Israeli weapons were mentioned.

[Scurrilous]

2. Russia approves Israeli's extradition to Colombia

Supreme Court accepts request to extradite former Israeli army officer Yair Klein, wanted for training illegal paramilitaries

http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3546692,00.html

<snip>

"Russia's Supreme Court approved on Thursday a request from Colombia for the extradition of an Israeli man wanted for training illegal paramilitaries.

A Colombian court sentenced Yara Gal Klein, also known as Yair, in absentia in 2001 to 10 years in prison for training paramilitaries in the Andean country.

A former Israeli army officer, he was detained in August as he landed at Moscow's Domodedovo airport. He has said the Colombian military knew about his paramilitary training activities.

Klein was convicted of training the private army of infamous drug lord Pablo Escobar. In particular, Klein was accused of teaching the militia troops how to carry out high-profile killings such as the 1989 assassination of anti-cartel presidential candidate Luis Carlos Galán."

[Scurrilous]

3. Bogota holdup implicates Israeli set to serve time for training death squads

<snip>

"Last Thursday, Russia's Supreme Court upheld a decision to extradite to Colombia Israeli mercenary Yair Klein. Klein was convicted in the South American country in absentia of training paramilitary groups and the militias of drug lords in the 1980s.

The day before Edgar Paz Morales, a former military officer in the Colombian army, entered a bank in Bogota while armed with a grenade. After bank clerks refused his demand for his military pension payments, he pulled out a grenade and took roughly 30 hostages.

Morales then demanded the press be allowed to enter the bank, after which he asked one of the hostages to read aloud from a letter he had written. In his letter, he describes the trainings he received from Klein."

(video at link)

http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/986877.html

[azurnoir]

4. Israel wants him back?

or Israel just doesn't want him sent to Columbia? My vote is for back in Israel.

[Howardx]

5. my vote is for facing the families

of the people who were killed by the terrorsist he trained.

[azurnoir]

6. Sorry if you misconstruded my comment

I meant that Israel wants him back in Israel, personally I would see him turned over to Interpol, as his crimes go far beyond Columbia, and may well include involvement in the blood diamond trade and the RUF in Sierra Leone, which needs closer investigation.

[Scurrilous]

7. EU court halts extradition to Bogota of Israeli who trained paramilitaries

<snip>

"The European Court of Human Rights has ordered Russia to halt the extradition of a former Israeli army officer wanted in Colombia for training paramilitaries, his Russian lawyer said on Tuesday. Yara Gal Klein, also known as Yair, was convicted in absentia by a Colombian court of training illegal paramilitary groups.

He was to be extradited to the South American country to serve his sentence after he was detained in Russia last year.

His legal team appealed against the extradition in the Strasbourg-based European Court, arguing his life woult be at risk if he were sent to a Colombian prison.

"The Strasbourg court issued a decision forbidding the extraditionpending further consideration of the case," Klein's lawyer, Dmitry Yampolsky, told Reuters."

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