Colombia’s Foreign Ministry says it will continue efforts to have Israeli mercenary Yair Klein extradited to Colombia.
Klein has been convicted in Colombia for training paramilitaries and drug gangs, including Pablo Escobar’s Medellin Cartel.
The European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) in April blocked the extradition of the Israeli, who is finishing a three-year sentence in a Russian jail this week.
Klein’s lawyer announced Monday that his client will be deported to Israel, where he does not face any charges. The lawyer said that Russia decided in October to accept the rights court’s ruling against Klein’s extradition.
Russia initially agreed to extradite Klein, but on appeal to the ECHR, the court ruled that Klein would face possible torture and inhumane conditions if extradited to Colombia.
“This lack of cooperation is very surprising,” Foreign Minister German Vargas Lleras said Tuesday. “We’re going to examine the possibility of an appeal against the decision. It is very unfortunate because Yair Klein has pending cases here, which he should respond to.”
