On Friday, a Thai appeals court ruled to extradite alleged Russian arms smuggler Viktor Bout to the United States to face charges of supplying weapons to Colombian rebels.
Bout, who was dubbed the "Merchant of Death," has been held in a Thai maximum-security prison since his arrest in March 2008. Bout was nabbed in a sting operation in which agents posed as arms buyers for the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, or FARC.
The appeals court overturned last year's ruling by a lower court that said the FARC was a political movement and not a terrorist group and therefore extradition could not be granted for a political offense.
However, the appeals court judge ruled on Friday the case was criminal, not political.
Bout’s lawyer says ultimately it’s the Thai government’s decision whether or not to extradite his client and he would lodge a petition to block the extradition.
[Lak Nittiwattanawichan, Bout’s Lawyer]: (Thai, male)
"The extradition treaty between Thailand and the United States specifies that the government will make the decision to extradite. The government will make the final decision on whether to extradite or not."
Bout's wife accused the Thai authorities of succumbing to pressure from the United States.
[Ella Bout, Viktor Bout’s Wife]: (Russian, female)
"I believe that in this issue there's been a tremendous pressure from the American side. The Americans have been quite open in letting the world know that they will exert pressure on the Thai side to get my husband extradited to the U.S."
U.S. prosecutors have accused the 43-year-old Russian of selling arms or brokering deals that have helped fuel wars in Afghanistan, Angola, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Liberia, Rwanda, Sierra Leone and Sudan.
Bout has repeatedly denied the accusations, saying he ran a legitimate air cargo business.
