Jailed Armenian pilots may be extradited from Equatorial Guinea

Noyan Tapan news agency
2 Dec 04

YEREVAN

The Armenian authorities will continue providing every support to the
six Armenian pilots convicted of attempting to stage a coup d’etat in
Equatorial Guinea.

Ambassador Sergey Manaseryan, who has received the text of the
sentence handed down on 26 November, is expected to return to Yerevan
from Malabo today, the press secretary of the Armenian Foreign
Ministry, Gamlet Gasparyan, has told Noyan Tapan.

It must be remembered that the captain of the aircraft has been
sentenced to 24 years’ imprisonment, while other pilots to 14 years.

Speaking about further steps by the Armenian side, the press secretary
pointed to the importance of signing an agreement on extradition
between the two countries, adding that such a document is already
being prepared. Only after that, will it be possible to negotiate the
handover of the Armenian pilots. At the same time, the pilots’ lawyer
will continue taking steps to appeal against the sentence to the
Supreme Court of Equatorial Guinea.

Gasparyan said Armenia’s confidence of the pilots’ innocence is not
abstract, but based on specific facts. As for the sentence, the
Foreign Ministry spokesman said it was purely political given
Equatorial Guinea’s domestic problems.