Extradition Of Alex Saab To US Will Spell Doom For Cape Verde, American Jurists Warn

The American Association of Jurists (AAJ) has said that the planed extradition of the Venezuelan diplomat, Alex Saab by Cape Verdean authorities to the United States will spell doom for the country.

AAJ however warned that if the Cape Verdean authorities extradite Saab to US, it would cause serious structural, and long-lasting diplomatic consequences to the country. 

CityMirrorNews recalls that Alex Saab had been in detention for over a year following his arrest on the order of ex-American president, Donald Trump.

The Association in a letter dated June 16 to the Cape Verdean authorities noted that the country is binded to respect the position of the United Nations Human Rights Committee (UNHRC) which has ordered them to refrain from extraditing Saab to the United States.

The Jurists also reminded the Cape Verdean authorities of need to take all necessary measures to ensure access to appropriate health care by independent and specialized physicians of Alex Saab’s choice as ordered by UNHRC

The group noted that Cape Verde is a member State of the United Nations, and has been a party to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights since August 6, 1993 and to the Optional Protocol to the 
International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights since May 19, 2000. 

This implies that it must respect its international obligations regarding the human rights protected by this treaty and comply with the orders and decisions of the expert body in charge of the supervision of the treaty, which is the Human Rights Committee of the United Nations.

Under rule 92 of its rules of procedure, the Committee may, after receipt of a communication and before adopting its Views, request a State party to take interim measures in order to avoid 
irreparable damage to the victim of the alleged violations.

“The refusal by Cape Verde to comply with its international obligations would have serious, structural, and long-lasting diplomatic, economic, political, and legal consequences for Cape Verde. By refusing or ignoring the interim measures, Cape Verde would befollowing the path of Belarus and confirming its desire to definitively renounce adherence to human rights and the rule 
of law,” the letter by the association read. 

Recall that the United Nations Human Rights Commission had in a letter signed by Helene Tigroudja and Arif Bulkan of its Human Rights Committee Special Rapporteurs on New Communications and Interim Measures requested Cape Verde authorities to refrain from extraditing embattled Venezuelan diplomat, Alex Saab, to the United States. 

According to the letter, the move was made pursuant to rule 94 of the Committee’s rules of procedure. 

“The State party has been requested to refrain from extraditing Mr. Alex Nain Saab Moran to the United States of America while his case is under consideration by the Committee or until further notice,” the letter read in parts. 

The commission also requested Cape Verde authorities to take all necessary measures to ensure access to appropriate health care for the author, preferably by independent and specialized physicians of his choice. 

Saab was arrested and detained in Cape Verde based on the request of the Donald Trump led United States government during a stop over on his way to Iran over allegations of money laundering, a move the Venezuelan government faulted with claims that the businessman is its special envoy on a humanitarian mission.

The Venezuelan government claimed that before his arrest, Saab had been on a mission to get food and medical supplies in Iran, stopping over in Cape Verde where he was arrested by security operatives.

The failure of Cape Verdean authorities to obey the ruling of the ECOWAS court by extraditing Saab to the US is not the first contempt for court order by the authorities since his detention last year. 

Saab was denied access to any member of his defense team despite three court rulings granting him the right to do so.