Baltic States – CIS, Lithuania, Russia
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Thursday, 28.03.2024, 17:26
Lithuania refuses to extradite former head of Georgia's anti-terrorism center to Russia
"The plea for extradition of Z.M. for criminal
prosecution was submitted for political reasons and the Russian Federation's
foreign policies towards Georgia," the Prosecutor General's Office said in
a press release.
The finding is yet to be approved by a Vilnius court.
Maisuradze was apprehended by Lithuanian border guards
at Vilnius Airport on Dec. 2 after a regular document check of non-European
Union citizens showed he was wanted internationally due to suspicions of a
crime linked with terrorism. His search was called by Russia.
A few days later, Maisuradze was released on a bail until
the plea for his extradition to Russia has been processed.
The Prosecutor General's Office said it examined the
extradition plea in cooperation with Lithuanian and foreign institutions. The
Russian extradition plea arrived in Lithuania at the end of last week.
The Georgian citizen had come to the Lithuanian capital for
an event at the invitation from the Lithuanian section of the International
Police Association.
Moscow actively opposes Tbilisi's Euro-integration and NATO
membership aims. The countries were engaged in a brief war in 2008, which led
to separation of Abkhazia and South Ossetia regions that Russia later
recognized as independent states. Meanwhile, Georgia and the Western world
views them as occupied territories.