A Turkish court on Monday rejected the request to extradite a man wanted by Haiti over his alleged involvement in the assassination of President Jovenel Moise and ordered his release. The suspect, Samir Handal, was detained on an Interpol red notice as he transited Turkey while coming from the United States and going to Jordan last November, but his lawyers said the red notice was later lifted.
Attending the hearing at Istanbul's 37th High Criminal Court via videolink from the prison he was held in, Handal asked for "justice." He cited lifting of Interpol notice and claimed he would be "tortured and killed" if he was extradited. His lawyers detailed his claims of risk of torture and death. "Haiti is in the hands of a serious unrest. Prisons there lack water and medical equipment. A United Nations report notes convicts' deaths in prison," a Turkish lawyer for Handal told the court. Another lawyer referred to warnings on security risks in Haiti "by Turkey and the United States" and asked the court to take them into consideration before extraditing the suspect to Haiti. The prosecutor, however, said the suspect would be exempt from hard labor if extradited to Haiti, something the court took into consideration in a potential decision in earlier hearings and therefore, his "detention should be extended" before a possible extradition ruling.
Speaking to reporters after the hearing, Mahmut Barlas, one of the lawyers for Handal, said it has been "a busy eight months" for them but they were happy to see "the justice prevailed."
