JURIST - Paper Chase: British judge blocks extradition of Chechen envoy

From the anchor desk... A British judge ruled Thursday that Chechen envoy Akhmed Zakayev will not be extradited to Russia where he faces 13 charges including kidnapping and participating in the murder of more than 300 militia officers. In his ruling, District Judge Timothy Workman said that he "reached the inevitable conclusion that if the [Russian] authorities are prepared to resort to torturing witnesses, there is a substantial risk that Mr. Zakayev would himself be subject to torture." Russia's Prosecutor General's Office says that "double standards are suggested by this decision" and that "this is another demonstration of the division of terrorists into 'bad' and 'good.'" Read the full story from the BBC. Amnesty International has a summary of the charges against Zakayev and the arguments raised against his extradition.

UPDATE: Amnesty International has now issued a press release welcoming the decision.