[Lauchenoiria]

Lauchenoirian Guardian

Green leader Lucie Scott calls for investigation into extradition taskforce
13th August 2019

Lucie Scott, leader of the Green Party, has called for an independent investigation into the conduct of the extradition taskforce set up by President Alex Marwick to handle requests for extraditions from countries which use capital punishment. The task force was set up following a change to extradition law permitting extraditions to nations which have the death penalty in select circumstances. This itself followed requests from three nations: Shuell, Xiomera and Kerlile.

Speaking at an event in support of sustainable construction, Scott was asked her opinion on the recent decision to extradite Shuellian national Peter Bloch. Mr. Bloch was an aid worker who came to Lauchenoiria as part of an effort by Shuell to provide aid to war-torn communities in southern Lauchenoiria. He is now presently on a plane to Shuell after having been extradited following a failed appeal against President Marwick’s decision.

“President Marwick has a lot of questions to answer about this decision,” said Scott. “Whatever fate awaits Mr. Bloch in Shuell is bound to be unpleasant, and Marwick is responsible for condemning him to that. I am very disappointed in him. I expected better, and all of Lauchenoiria expected better from a man whose entire platform was based on respecting democracy and listening to the will of the people.”

She continued: “The people of Lauchenoiria did not support this extradition, that is clear from the volume of protests we are seeing across the country. President Marwick has been in the job a month, and already he is going back on his promises. There must be an investigation into his conduct in this matter; into the conduct of this ‘extradition taskforce’ set up by Marwick which seems to unquestioningly follow his orders rather than investigating anything; and into the conduct of the judge who rejected Bloch’s appeal.”

Protests against the extradition of Mr. Bloch took place today in Buttercity, Annatown and Summersea, with several individuals arrested for trespassing at Annatown International Airport after information was posted online claiming Bloch would be extradited from there. This information was later found to be false. Protestors are calling for the new extradition law to be scrapped and for Lauchenoiria to go back to refusing all extraditions to nations which use capital punishment.

In a likely response to the extradition decision, Sanctaria has announced that they will be significantly reducing their peacekeeping presence along the Lauchenoiria-Kerlile border “effective immediately”. Sanctarian Chancellor Charlene Hendry had cautioned Lauchenoiria against extraditing Bloch last week. This decision will come as a disappointment to communities near the border who fear Kerlian incursions, however was welcomed by controversial far-right leader of Lauchenoiria First, Paul Doberman, who has opposed Sanctarian presence in Lauchenoiria before.

A decision has yet to be made in the case of Jasmine Eddington, a notorious Kerlian serial killer who escaped across the border to Lauchenoiria during a routine prison transfer. She has been in Lauchenoirian custody since then. President Marwick announced following the passage of the Extraditions Act 2019 that she would be extradited; however, she is presently appealing the decision.