Supreme court to discuss FYROM extradition request
Greece’s supreme court will on Wednesday discuss a demand by authorities in the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM) for the extradition of Dejan Vucovic, said to be the former head of FYROM’s special anti-terrorism unit.
The 30-year-old was arrested in Thessaloniki, northern Greece, in late February on an international warrant issued by the Balkan state on charges of drug trafficking and illegal possession of arms.
Vucovic, who is being kept in the town’s Diavata Prison, says he has been framed by ethnic Albanian officials in his native FYROM. Vucovic claims to have played a leading role in the deadly clashes between FYROM security forces and members of the now-dismantled Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA) in the northern town of Kumanovo in 2015, and says his prosecution is connected to the ongoing political turmoil in FYROM.
He has sought political asylum, saying he fears for his life in FYROM. On April 26, a Thessaloniki court granted the extradition request by FYROM authorities. Vucovic appealed the decision.
