THAI JUDGE REFUSES TO EXTRADITE VIKTOR BOUT

A Thai judge has refused the United State’s request to extradite Viktor Bout. Bout, a Russian national is wanted in this country for providing aid to terrorists. Specifically he is accused of selling guns to Columbia’s FARC. He was arrested in Bangkok after an elaborate plot by US and Thai authorities to lure him to Thailand from his home in Russia.

Bout, also known as the Merchant of Death is a major arms dealer. It has been claimed that he supplied arms to revolutionary groups in Sierra Leone, Liberia and the Congo. Bout denies selling arms but he admits that he owns an air transport agency which was used to transport weapons But he has also worked for the United States, France, and perhaps Britain transporting troops and military gear into war zones.

FARC started as the military wing of the Columbian Communist party. It is considered a terrorist group by the United States, Canada and the European Union. But most countries in the world, including Thailand consider it a political organization. Generally nations will only extradite someone who has committed an act that would be considered a crime in the extraditing nation. Since Thailand does not consider FARC a terrorist organization selling arms to FARC is not considered a violation of Thai law and therefore he was released from detention. The United States and Thailand may appeal.