The court sent a Russian who had participated in the annexation of Crimea into custody. Russia did not know about the international arrest warrant iROZHLAS
The Municipal Court in Prague sent the detained Russian Alexander Frančetti into pre-trial detention. It will await the outcome of his extradition proceedings against Ukraine. Frančetti’s lawyer, Jan Švarc, told reporters after the detention session that Ukraine’s request for extradition was politically motivated and had nothing to do with criminal activity. According to previous information from the iROZHLAS.cz server, the Russian has in the past joined the Russian annexation of the Ukrainian Crimean peninsula.
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Russian authorities did not know that Alexander Franchetti had been issued an international arrest warrant, writes TASS | Source: reprofoto, Alexandr Franchetti’s public Facebook page
“The court has ruled that the conditions for pre-trial detention are met because there is a risk of absconding,” said Adam Wenig, a spokesman for the court, for two hours.
Police detained a Russian at the airport who was involved in the annexation of Crimea. Ukraine has requested his extradition
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“Pre-trial detention is common in extradition proceedings. It rarely happens that a client is fired. Let us hope that the court will not succumb to that politicization in the following extradition proceedings, “said lawyer Švarc. As he left the courtroom, Frančetti said words about “fascism” before being taken away by an armed escort.
Franteti faces two to eight years in prison in Ukraine for membership in a paramilitary organization. According to Švarc, however, he would also be subjected to torture and he would be in danger of death. “He was not in any paramilitary organization, he only co-organized the defense of Sevastopol at a time when there was de facto anarchy and various militias were infiltrating there,” the lawyer said. He lodged a complaint against the imposition of detention, which will be dealt with by the Prague High Court.
Franchetti was detained by police at Prague Airport on Sunday on the basis of an international arrest warrant issued by Kiev. In addition to the lawyer and interpreter, several of his relatives and acquaintances were waiting for the man in court on Tuesday, who expressed his support in Russian in a low voice. They had to stay in the hallway because detention is always closed to the public.
Involvement in the annexation of Crimea
According to previous information on the iROZHLAS.cz portal Frančetti was the head of one of the paramilitary forms that actively participated in the annexation of Crimea in 2014. In the vicinity of Sevastopol, he led the North Wind intelligence group, which had the city protected from possible attacks. According to his statement, he arrived in Sevastopol two days before the outbreak of the conflict, ie on 25 February 2014. He also confirmed that his group had cooperated with the command of the Russian naval fleet. The server also wrote that Frančetti has had a permanent residence in Prague since 2000, where he works as a fitness trainer and also in business. He lives alternately in the capital of the Czech Republic and in the Crimea.
Frančetti’s 19-year-old daughter Dia also arrived at the court on Tuesday. When asked by ČTK, he welcomed the fact that his father had come to Česká from Russia about ten days ago, in order to see her after two years. According to her, he had not traveled before due to restrictions associated with the covidu-19 pandemic. Police detained him as he prepared to fly to Russia again.
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„V politických věcech se nevyznám a nemám k tomu žádné informace,“ řekla dívka na otázku, zda ví něco o zapojení svého otce do událostí na Krymu. „Jediné, co vím, je, že byl v lese s dalšími lidmi. Jenom tam stáli, nikdo nebyl ozbrojen. Koukali, čekali, pozorovali, nic ilegálního se na Krymu nedělo. Měl tam přítelkyni, která měla dvanáctileté dítě, měl tam v podstatě druhou rodinu. Vše dělal, aby je ochránil, aby za nimi nikdo nepřišel,“ pokračovala. Dodala, že v Rusku mají jejího otce za hrdinu, který pomohl vládě.
O přípustnosti Frančettiho vydání na Ukrajinu – tedy o splnění všech zákonných podmínek – bude rozhodovat nejprve pražský městský soud, o případné stížnosti pak ještě Vrchní soud v Praze. Poté bude na české ministryni spravedlnosti, zda s vydáním vysloví souhlas, či nevysloví.
Švarc v úterý podotkl, že pro rozhodnutí ministryně nejsou předepsané žádné lhůty, a připomněl v této souvislosti délku případu libanonského obchodníka se zbraněmi Alího Fajáda, kterého rovněž zastupoval. Fajád byl v Česku ve vazbě od dubna 2014 do února 2016 na základě zatykače USA. Propuštěn byl až v souvislosti s únosem pěti Čechů v Libanonu, přičemž jedním z unesených byl právě advokát Švarc.
Moskva žádá od Prahy podrobné informace o Frančettiho zadržení. Mluvčí ruského ministerstva zahraničí Marija Zacharovová uvedla, že ruská diplomacie zaslala nótu českému ministerstvu zahraničí a upozornila českého velvyslance v Rusku, že „destruktivní“ politika ČR vůči Rusku povede k dalšímu zhoršení vztahů a „neobejde se bez ruské reakce“. České ministerstvo zahraničí sdělilo, že případ nemá souvislost s česko-ruskými vztahy a že ruská ambasáda v Praze byla o zadržení informována.
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