Ukraine rejects extradition request

KYIV – Ukraine has rejected Georgia’s request for the extradition of former President Mikheil Saakashvili, saying it was politically motivated. The Ukrainian Procurator General’s Office (PGO) said on April 1 that MR. Saakashvili, who now heads an advisory body in Ukraine, will not be extradited to Georgia. “Saakashvili’s extradition would be against the 1950 Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms,” the PGO said. Mr. Saakashvili, who introduced reforms during nearly a decade in power following the 2003 Rose Revolution, left the ex-Soviet republic after his presidency ended in November 2013. The government that came to power after beating his party in 2012 parliamentary elections has accused him of fraud, organization of an assault and abuse of office – charges he denies. Mr. Saakashvili has been serving as the head of Ukraine’s Consultative International Council of Reforms since February. (RFE/RL, based on reporting by UNIAN and Interfax)