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Chechen 'terrorist' in UK court
LONDON, England -- A senior Chechen separatist wanted by Russia for alleged "terrorist" crimes has appeared in a British court at the start of proceedings to extradite him from Britain. Akhmed Zakayev, 43, was remanded on conditional bail when he appeared before Bow Street Magistrates Court in central London to face 10 charges, including mass murder and rebellion "contrary to the laws and within the jurisdiction of the Russian Federation." He was ordered to appear again before the same court on January 9. Zakayev was arrested and released on bail last Thursday after he flew into London's Heathrow Airport from Denmark, where he had been held while the authorities investigated Russia's request for his return. British actress Vanessa Redgrave, a left-wing activist who supports the Chechen cause, posted Zakayev's bail and appeared with him in court on Wednesday. "I'm his friend, I'm his guarantor," Redgrave said earlier. Russian Foreign Minister Igor Ivanov has criticized Britain for releasing Zakayev, a top aide to Chechen rebel leader Aslan Maskhadov. "Say another terrorist turned up in London, Bin Laden ... and he were to announce that new terrorist attacks were forthcoming against civilian sites in the United States," Ivanov told The Associated Press last week. "How would you deal with him? Would you react in the same way as with Zakayev? Would you talk to him in a police station and let him out again onto the street?" During Wednesday's hour-long hearing, Judge Timothy Workman granted a request by Zakaev's lawyer, Gareth Peirce, for an order barring specific details of Zakaev's London address from being published. Peirce told the court that Zakaev had been living at the address for most of this year with his wife, children and grandchildren. Banning full details of the address was "both for his personal security and that of his family," she said. No other details are to be mentioned by the press other than the area where Zakaev lives -- Chelsea, west London -- which has already been published, the judge said. Zakayev was arrested on October 30 in Copenhagen at Moscow's request after a legal meeting of rebels and human rights activists -- just days after Chechen gunmen took hundreds hostage in a Moscow theatre. During the operation to free them, 128 of the hostages died. Denmark had given Russia until November 30 to provide sufficient evidence to justify extraditing Zakayev, but it failed to do so, Danish justice ministry spokesman Jakob Scharf told the AP. Scotland Yard said Zakayev was arrested on an extradition warrant "alleging several offences within the jurisdiction of the government of the Russian Federation." The extradition warrant alleges that Zakayev, 43, was a senior Chechen military commander and waged war against the Russian Federation between October 1995 and December 2000. In 10 charges, the warrant alleges that he unlawfully imprisoned, injured or murdered several named people. He is accused of murdering, with the help of others, at least 300 Russian security personnel in August 1996. Russia has denied that it provided insufficient evidence against Zakayev. Justice Minister Yuri Chaika told Russia's TVS television last week: "I believe political motives were standing behind this decision." Russian officials have said they will seek Zakayev wherever he goes. Zakayev has thanked Copenhagen for standing up to Kremlin pressure to extradite him to Moscow. It was not immediately clear why Zakayev left Denmark, where he was safe from extradition. A 1996 peace left Chechen separatists in charge after a 20-month war, but Russian troops poured back into Chechnya in 1999, after rebel raids in a neighbouring region and after a series of apartment-house bombings that killed about 300 people and were blamed on the rebels. Russia wanted Zakayev to stand trial for crimes it alleged he committed from 1996 to 1999. Danish Foreign Minister Per Stig Moller, whose country holds the European Union presidency, told reporters he did not expect the decision to lead to any deterioration in relations between Denmark and Russia. Copyright 2002 CNN. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Associated Press contributed to this report.
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