You're reading: Osmayev’s wife: ECHR advises Ukraine not to extradite suspect in Putin assassination plot

ODESA - The European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) has decided to advise Ukraine not to temporarily extradite Adam Osmayev, a prime suspect in the case on a plot to assassinate President Vladimir Putin, to Russia, Osmayev's wife, Amina Okuyeva, told Interfax-Ukraine on Monday, Aug. 20.

The ECHR has not yet begun to consider the case on its merits, but
since it is a matter of life and death of a person, it recommended that
Ukraine suspend the extradition process until the consideration of the
case is completed.

“The court made the decision on Friday. We learned about it only
today. Certainly, the judgment of the European Court [of Human Rights] is advisory,” Okuyeva said.

She also added that the defense team and relatives of the suspect
were expecting the reaction of Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych and
that they had sent to him all complaints by Osmayev and all documents
in the case.

As reported, the alleged criminals who were on put on the
international wanted list were arrested during a special operation in
Odesa on February 4. These individuals are suspected of staging an
explosion in Odesa on January 4, 2012. The explosion killed 26-year-old
Russian Ruslan Madayev and seriously injured 28-year-old Kazakh citizen
Ilya Pyanzin.

The Ukrainian Prosecutor General’s Office sent a criminal case, which
was opened earlier by the Interior Ministry under Article 263 of the
Criminal Code of Ukraine (illegal treatment of weapons, ammunition or
explosives), to the investigation department of the SBU office in Odesa
region.

The elements of improvised explosive devices were found at the scene
of a fire. Pyanzin, who was injured during the incident, was arrested
and started actively cooperating with investigators, saying that the
leader of his group was Osmayev (who was arrested in Odesa in February).

On February 27, the SBU confirmed reports that Russian and Ukrainian
security services had foiled a plot by terrorists, who were arrested in
Odesa, to assassinate Putin after presidential elections in Russia.

The Ukrainian Prosecutor General’s Office received a request from the
Russian Prosecutor General’s Office for the extradition of Osmayev, a
suspect in Putin’s assassination plot.

In March 2012, the testimony of suspects helped opened a criminal
case against the detainees under Article 258-3 (the creation of a
terrorist organization) and Articles 14 and 258 of the Criminal Code of
Ukraine (plotting a terrorist attack).

Osmayev is believed to have led a cell of the Caucasus Emirate terrorist organization in Odesa.

The Odesa Region Court of Appeals backed the proposal of the Russian
Prosecutor’s General Office to extradite Osmayev to Russia on August 14.

His extradition may take from a week to a month, depending on how
this issue is agreed by respective Russian and Ukrainian services, the
Ukrainian Prosecutor General’s Office said.

Osmayev’s lawyer, Valery Kochetov, said that his client could be extradited within a month.