NAPLES – The eighth criminal section of the city’s Court of Appeal has rejected a request from Russia to extradite Ukrainian director Yevhen Lavrenchuk, who was arrested in Italy on Dec. 17 under a Russian arrest warrant, while on his way way back to Kiev from Tel Aviv, said Ansa.

 Lavrenchuk was held in custody in the Poggioreale prison in Naples for embezzlement, a crime which he had reportedly committed in Russia. The director’s mother and his closest colleagues have said to the media that the Russian authorities probably have a political motive for arresting him.

  Alfonso Tatarano, one of Lavrenchuk’s two lawyers, the other being Roman Semenyuk, said they were satisfied with the outcome of the hearing. “The court recognised that it was beyond reasonable doubt that the extradition had been requested for political reasons.”

 The Naples judges took into consideration the "current relations between the Russian Federation and Ukraine" when making their decision. They “believe there is a risk that, in the event of extradition, Lavrenchuk Yevhen, who, moreover, has declared himself political opponent of Russian President Putin, [...] may be subjected [...] to treatments contrary to the fundamental rights of the person.”

 “Both the Attorney General and the Minister of Justice,” continued Tatarano, “asked the judges that the director not be extradited precisely because of the danger that he would be subjected to persecutory treatment in consideration of the international crisis between the two countries.”

ln