Polish court frees exiled Chechen leader

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Series Title
Series Details 18.9.10
Publication Date 18/09/2010
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A Polish court has freed on the 17 September 2010 Akhmed Zakayev, head of the separatist Chechen government in exile who is wanted in Russia on terrorism charges, in a move that could fray Russian-Polish relations.

Mr Zakayev, in Poland to attend the World Chechen Congress, was arrested earlier in the day. The prosecutor’s office had asked that he be held in preventive detention for 40 days due to the seriousness of the Russian charges against him, but late on the evening of the same day he was ordered released by the court. He will have to stay in Poland while further legal process takes place.

The court said that Mr Zakayev’s asylum status in the United Kingdom, granted in 2003, should be respected by Poland, a fellow European Union member.

Related Links
Deutsche Welle, 17.9.10: Polish police arrest leading Chechen separatist http://www.dw-world.de/dw/article/0,,6012623,00.html
BBC News, 17.9.10: Polish court frees Chechen separatist leader Zakayev http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-11353597
Polskie Radio, 17.9.10: Chechen leader freed but must remain in Poland http://www.thenews.pl/international/?id=139849
Wikipedia: Akhmed Zakayev http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Akhmed_Zakayev
Wikipedia: Chechnya http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chechnya

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