OSCE denied access to Kazakh fugitive's jailed associate in Spain
| Publisher | Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty |
| Publication Date | 18 October 2013 |
| Cite as | Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, OSCE denied access to Kazakh fugitive's jailed associate in Spain, 18 October 2013, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/528b6776f.html [accessed 21 May 2023] |
| Disclaimer | This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. |
October 18, 2013
By RFE/RL
An Interpol website photo of Mukhtar Ablyazov's ex-bodyguard, Aleksandr Pavlov
An official with the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) says authorities in Spain have denied her request to see a jailed associate of Kazakh oligarch and opposition figure Mukhtar Ablyazov.
Isabel Santos, the chairwoman of the OSCE's Parliamentary Assembly committee on democracy, human rights, and humanitarian questions, had hoped to meet in Madrid with Aleksandr Pavlov on October 17.
Pavlov, Ablyazov's former bodyguard, was detained last year on an Interpol warrant requested by Kazakhstan, which has accused Pavlov of terrorism and embezzlement.
Pavlov, whose political asylum request has been denied, faces extradition to Kazakhstan.
Rights groups fear he will be at risk of torture and an unfair trial there.
Kazakhstan accuses Ablyazov of stealing $6 billion during a government takeover of his BTA Bank in 2009.
Link to original story on RFE/RL website
