Mekong Posted August 11, 2009 Report Share Posted August 11, 2009 A Thai court has rejected a US request for the extradition of Viktor Bout, an alleged Russian arms dealer dubbed the "Merchant of Death". The United States wants to put Mr Bout on trial on charges of supplying weapons to Colombian Farc rebels. "The US charges are not applicable under Thai law," said a Thai judge, who described the US case against Mr Bout as political, not criminal. Mr Bout was arrested in a Thai-US sting operation in March 2008. "This is a political case. The Farc is fighting for a political cause and is not a criminal gang. Thailand does not recognise the Farc as a terrorist group," said the judge delivering the verdict at Bangkok's Criminal Court. The Unites States has 72 hours in which to appeal against the ruling, during which time Mr Bout, 42, will remain in detention. A decision in the extradition hearing has been repeatedly delayed by a high turnover of defence lawyers. United Nations agencies and several Western governments have reported that Mr Bout has delivered arms to dictators and warlords in Africa and Afghanistan, allegedly breaking several UN arms embargoes in the process. He faces US charges of conspiring to kill Americans, conspiring to provide material support to terrorists and conspiring to acquire and use an anti-aircraft missile. He could face a maximum penalty of life in prison if convicted in the US. His lawyer argues that Mr Bout would not receive a fair trial in the US, where officials say he supplied arms to dictators, al-Qaeda and the Taleban. He is being held in a maximum security prison outside Bangkok. Link Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Khun_Kong Posted August 11, 2009 Report Share Posted August 11, 2009 Even stranger- the Thai courts have just decided the same thing for the Southern insurgents, ruling that they are fighting for a political cause and are not common criminals. The Army has just been ordered to withdraw. Several Malaysian nationals who were arrested last year and charged with supplying weapons to them have been released. So what exactly was Bout arrested for in Thailand? Did he break any Thai laws? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cavanami Posted August 11, 2009 Report Share Posted August 11, 2009 ...The United States wants to put Mr Bout on trial on charges of supplying weapons to Colombian Farc rebels. Have a read of the book, "White Out"...what the CIA supposedly did in South America and right in Bill Clinton's backyard in Arkansas, While Bill was gov there...makes this Bout guy a non-issue! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
doxx Posted August 11, 2009 Report Share Posted August 11, 2009 So if Thai law cannot charge him, why wouldn't it be OK to send him off to the US, where he could be charged? Then again, the time he's spent in Thai prison from time of arrest is probably enough punishment for whatever he's done. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wallenda Posted August 12, 2009 Report Share Posted August 12, 2009 So Thailand doesn't recognise Al Qaeda as a terrorist group? Even if we kept to the scope of FARC, it's a group with no popular support whose only claim to fame is bombings, kidnappings and executions. Does Thailand recognise that the elected government of Columbia is legitimate? If so, it means they accept that Columbia's laws are legitimate and that therefore FARC is a criminal group. Are kidnappings legal in Thailand? The whole position makes no sense. Pretty whacky ruling. For one, what basis is there for saying that the arrest is politically motivated. Has evidence been given to support that? This smells strongly of a payment having been made. It will be very interesting to wait and see if Thailand wants to put itself on the side of people who enable terrorists. Imean really, everyone in the world knows this is a hardcore bad guy. Teh question is whether you're in favor of the kinds of tactics employed by groups like Al Qaeda and Farc, or against. It'd be really interesting to watch Thailand join the few nations like the Taliban Afghanistan or Syria in endorsing what the rest of the world considers to be terorism. The European Union, by the way, also considers FARC to be terrorists, as well as Canada and lots of other countries. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wallenda Posted August 12, 2009 Report Share Posted August 12, 2009 Yes they seem to be a fine group of people... 20-30% of their force are forced child soldiers, commanders keep underage partners for sex, it goes on and on. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Revolutionary_Armed_Forces_of_Colombia Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TroyinEwa/Perv Posted August 12, 2009 Report Share Posted August 12, 2009 Mr Bout was arrested in a Thai-US sting operation in March 2008. So during the planning of this sting, was there no discussion between the Thais and U.S. about extradition? Find that hard to believe that there wasn't. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Khun_Kong Posted August 12, 2009 Report Share Posted August 12, 2009 I still don't understand under what charges he's being held. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hugh_Hoy Posted August 12, 2009 Report Share Posted August 12, 2009 http://www.usdoj.gov/opa/pr/2008/May/08_nsd_380.html HH Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Khun_Kong Posted August 12, 2009 Report Share Posted August 12, 2009 The Thai don't recognize the US charges for extradition. Why is he being held? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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