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Turkish fugitive can stand trial in Belgium

29 Mar 2007 12:31:49 GMT
Source: Reuters

BRUSSELS, March 29 (Reuters) - A Belgian court ruled on Thursday that a fugitive Turkish militant can be tried in Belgium for crimes she is accused of committing in Turkey, if she is caught, lawyers said.

Ankara has been seeking the extradition of Fehriye Erdal to stand trial in Turkey for her alleged part in the murder of prominent businessman Ozdemir Sabanci in 1996.

"It's 100 percent satisfactory," Fernand Schmitz, a Belgian lawyer representing Sabanci's son, said of the ruling by the court in the Belgian city of Ghent.

Erdal's lawyer said he planned to appeal against the decision.

Belgian courts had originally ruled she could not stand trial for Turkish offences in Belgium, but the Ghent court decided she could do so for her part in the murder in accordance with the European Convention on the Suppression of Terrorism.

Erdal was arrested in Belgium in 1999 but Belgium refused to extradite Erdal to Turkey because she could have faced the death penalty.

She was arrested for possession of weapons and was ultimately convicted with six others for belonging to the outlawed Revolutionary People's Liberation Party/Front.

She was sentenced to four years in jail last year but escaped 24-hour surveillance by security staff a week before her conviction.

In Belgium, a defendant can be represented by his or her lawyer if the court accepts the defence's request. In Erdal's case, the court had accepted the request on security grounds.

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Last updated:Thu Mar 29 12:33:22 2007