ATHENS, Jan 20: A Greek court on Friday threw out a request by Pakistan to have a leading member of Greece's Pakistani community extradited to Islamabad for alleged human trafficking, a judicial official said.
Javied Aslam, the 38-year-old head of the Unity Community of Pakistani residents in Greece, is well-known in the country for criticising Greek police for arresting and illegally questioning Pakistanis for their suspected role in the public transport bombings in London in July last year.
Greek authorities have rejected his allegations but a judicial investigation found that the interrogations did take place.
Amnesty International has called on Greece not to extradite Aslam because of what it called Pakistan's poor human rights record.
On Friday, the Athens appeals court unanimously decided to reject Pakistan's extradition request.
Interpol issued an arrest warrant for Aslam in response to accusations by Pakistan that he served as a middle man in transferring clandestine immigrants from Pakistan to Greece.
But his supporters claim that he is being persecuted for condemning the alleged illegal detention and interrogation of some 10 Pakistani immigrants last year.
Aslam has lodged a request for political asylum in Greece.
Amnesty said it was ‘probable’ that Aslam's charges were “linked to his attempts to defend the rights of his compatriots, kidnapped in Greece most likely by (Greek and British) secret service agents”.
Britain, Greece and Pakistan have denied his accusations.
Aslam was arrested at his Athens home on November 6 by officers serving the Interpol warrant but was freed on bail on November 23 and ordered by a court to pay $38,600.—AFP
