Israeli mercenary Yair Klein demanded €1.5 million ($1.98 million) from Colombia as compensation for the three years and four months he spent imprisoned in Russia, reports La F.M.
Klein, who was convicted by Colombia for helping train paramilitaries and drug cartels, was released on November 19 from a Moscow jail to return to Israel. Colombia’s extradition request was denied due to concerns over human rights violations KIein could face in Colombian custody.
The Israeli claims he was hired by the Colombian army and agriculture ministry to train paramilitary forces for combat against guerrillas. No Colombian officials have spoken out in his defense and he has refused to give names “because he doesn’t want to harm those who contracted him.” Klein added that he wants a trial in an international court to prove he did nothing wrong in Colombia, and that he thinks the guerrillas have been the ones to cause the most damage in the country.
“More deaths are by fault of the guerrillas than of the [paramilitaries],” Klein said. “If I had not trained the paramilitaries to face the guerrillas there would have been more deaths and they would be in control of 30% of the country.”