Venezuela demands prosecution of Cuban activist in the US
Feb. 6, 2007
Reprinted from El Universal
Venezuela demanded the United States to either prosecute Luis Posada Carriles -a Cuban anti-Fidel Castro activist- or extradite him to Venezuela to serve a prison term for his bomb attack against a Cuban airplane in 1976 that killed 73 people.
In a communiqué forwarded to Washington, the Venezuelan Ministry of Foreign Affairs stressed that in Posada Carriles case the White House has two choices, namely prosecution or extradition, as provided for under article 7 of the Convention for the suppression of unlawful acts against the safety of civil aviation the United States signed in 1971.
"The Contracting State in the territory of which the alleged offender is found shall, if it does not extradite him, be obliged, without exception whatsoever and whether or not the offence was committed in its territory, to submit the case to its competent authorities for the purpose of prosecution," reads article 7 of such convention and quoted by the Venezuelan Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
On January 31st, the US "based on a technicality not to file charges against Luis Posada Carriles for what he really is, namely a murderer and terrorist," Venezuela added in the communiqué.
The document came following another communiqué Cuba published accusing the US of continuing to shelter the Cuban activist, after Washington said it was not obliged to justify Posada Carriles indefinite detention.
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