Mukhtar Ablyazov: ‘‘They want to kill me”
L'Espresso, an Italian weekly magazine, has interviewed the Kazakh dissident Mukhtar Ablyazov – this is the first interview since his arrest. Ablyazov, whose extradition proceedings are taking place in France, is currently being held in custody in Corbas, an area not far from Lyon. The dissident openly states that he has been receiving indications that he might be killed in custody.
Along with Vladimir Kozlov, Ablyazov is one of the principal opponents of Nursultan Nazarbayev’s regime. On July 31, 2013, Ablyazov was arrested in the South of France upon an extradition request filed by Ukrainian prosecution authorities; he has been under arrest since. Russia and Ukraine, who submitted extradition requests, accuse him of financial crimes.
In his interview to the weekly magazine, Ablyazov states that, according to the information he received from his French defenders, killing him in custody would be very low-cost and easy. The job could be done by some other prisoner, and everything would be passed off as an accident. So Ablyazov has asked to be placed in isolation.
The dissident also emphasises the fact that Kazakh authorities were putting pressure on Western politicians, promising huge contracts in return for his extradition. Apart from that, he notes that Kazakhstan and Russia are allies in eliminating political opponents and that the Kremlin is abusing Interpol to ensure his extradition. As he says in his interview to L'Espresso, ‘‘I am not a criminal. If I am handed over to Kazakhstan, there will be no chance of a fair trial for me.”
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25Ablyazov has not lost asylum in the UK
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10France has refused to extradite Mukhtar Ablyazov to Russia and Ukraine
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10France has refused to extradite Mukhtar Ablyazov to Russia and Ukraine
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14France to extradite Ablyazov on Moscow's request. Mediapart about his case.
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14France to extradite Ablyazov on Moscow's request. Mediapart about his case.
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