Croatia approves a Nord Stream extradition and the defence appeals
Lawyer Ljubo Pavasovic Viskovic said a Croatian court approved on 18 September the extradition to Germany of a man wanted over the 2022 Nord Stream explosions. He said the ruling is not final and that he is appealing, so it is unclear when or whether a handover happens. German prosecutors call the suspect Vladimir Z. The Associated Press reported that Polish authorities identify the same man as Volodymyr Zhuravlov. He was arrested in Pula in August. The charge is not a conviction.
Geopolitics··Morning
An 18 September ruling that is still not final
Lawyer Ljubo Pavasovic Viskovic said on Thursday that a Croatian court approved on 18 September the extradition to Germany of a suspect in the Nord Stream explosions. He said the ruling is not final and that he is appealing. The Associated Press, in a Zagreb dispatch, reported the same sequence: state media said the court approved the extradition, and the lawyer said he will appeal the 18 September ruling. Both accounts leave the handover date open.[1], [2]
Vladimir Z. and the name Polish authorities use
German prosecutors identify the suspect as Vladimir Z. The Associated Press reported that Polish authorities identify the same man as Volodymyr Zhuravlov, and that a Polish court last year refused to extradite him to Germany. Al Jazeera's account matches that identification. He was arrested in Pula in August on a European arrest warrant. The two reports are about that arrest and this extradition ruling, not about a completed trial.[1], [2]
What prosecutors allege, and what they have not proved
German prosecutors describe Vladimir Z. as a trained scuba diver on a team they accuse of planting explosives on the Nord Stream pipelines near Bornholm. The blasts were on 26 September 2022. Whether the extradition happens, and when, remains unclear while the appeal is open. The 18 September approval is not a conviction. A Zagreb court approved sending the suspect to Germany, and the defence appealed the 18 September ruling. German prosecutors describe Vladimir Z. as a trained diver on a team they accuse of placing explosives on the Nord Stream lines near Bornholm. The blasts were on 26 September 2022. Al Jazeera and the Associated Press account carried by WRAL both report the approval and the appeal. The magnitude is one suspect and one open appeal, not a conviction and not a completed handover. While the appeal is open, whether the transfer happens, and when, stays unresolved.[1]
