17:12, 14 April 2004

Chechen rights defender accuses Azerbaijan of illegal extradition of Magomed Tagayev

Azerbaijan law-enforcement agencies jointly with Russian special services detained Magomed Tagayev, an ideologist of Wahhabism, in the suburbs of Baku on April 9. The detained man was immediately extradited to Russia.

Meanwhile, Mairbek Taramov, a Chechen human rights defender living in Baku, said that Tagayev bore no relation to Wahhabism as he has no idea of religion. Tagayev did not try to hide in Baku, Taramov added. Tagayev's way of living in Baku was ascetic, he said.

Tagayev was not a key figure in the Chechen resistance movement, Taramov stated.

He accused the Azerbaijan authorities of the illegal extradition of Tagayev, referring to the ruling by the European Court that bans the extradition of people detained in connection with the developments in Chechnya to Russia. Taramov said he had already informed Azerbaijan human rights defenders of his intention to file a suit against the government of Azerbaijan with the European Court concerning the extradition of Tagayev.

Source: Echo (Azerbaijan)