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Revision as of 01:59, 7 December 2002 by 195.149.37.118 (talk)(diff) ← Previous revision | Latest revision (diff) | Newer revision → (diff)Akhmed Zakayev is a Chechen envoy and associate of Aslan Maskhadov.
He was accused by Russia of involvement in the Moscow theatre seige. When he visited Denmark for a congress in October 2002, the Russians demanded his arrest and extradition. In Denmark he was held for over a month, but released when the Danish authorities were not convinced that sufficient evidence had been provided. On December 7, Zakajev claimed asylum in London. The British authorities arrested him but he was released on bail, reported to have been paid by Vanessa Redgrave among others.
from another article, please merge
The Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister is Akhmed Zakayev, appointed by President Maskhadov shortly after the 1997 election. Zakayev was involved in negotiations with Russian representatives before and after the September 1999 Russian offensive. He was involved in organizing an October 2002 World Chechen Congress in Copenhagen, Denmark, which brought together Chechens and Russian human rights activists. During the congress, Zakaev denied Maskhadov's involvement in the theater capture, but threatened new acts of terrorism (including the use of nuclear materials). After the Moscow theater siege, Zakayev was detained in Copenhagen at the request of Russian authorities. The Russians are requesting his extradition, and while there is officially a moratorium on the use of the death penalty in Russia (as is a must for any member of the Council of Europe), the Danish courts have refused to extradite Zakayev, explaning that they usually do not repatriate persons when they face the death penalty. (see Use of death penalty worldwide).