U.S., ARMENIA LACK EXTRADITION PACT.Byline: ALEX DOBUZINSKIS Staff Writer Within days after a teenager was shot and paralyzed par·a·lyze tr.v. par·a·lyzed, par·a·lyz·ing, par·a·lyz·es 1. To affect with paralysis; cause to be paralytic. 2. To make unable to move or act: paralyzed by fear. at a pickup basketball game, suspect Vigen Uguryan hopped on a plane bound for Moscow. Many airports have flights to the Russian capital, and Glendale investigators believe Uguryan, 27, followed an itinerary used by other fugitives of Armenian descent -- passing through Russia on the way to Armenia. But Russian authorities detained Uguryan at the airport, fingering him for having phony papers. American authorities hoped he would be sent back to face trial in the shooting of a teenager at Columbus Elementary School elementary school: see school. in Glendale. Then Uguryan was released -- because the United States United States, officially United States of America, republic (2005 est. pop. 295,734,000), 3,539,227 sq mi (9,166,598 sq km), North America. The United States is the world's third largest country in population and the fourth largest country in area. doesn't have an extradition treaty with Russia or Armenia. ``Our State Department asked for his return, and they wouldn't do it,'' Glendale police Sgt. Ian Grimes said. Four years after Uguryan allegedly shot the youth, the former Glendale resident is among 50 to 75 fugitives the FBI believes are living in Armenia and wanted by Southern California Southern California, also colloquially known as SoCal, is the southern portion of the U.S. state of California. Centered on the cities of Los Angeles and San Diego, Southern California is home to nearly 24 million people and is the nation's second most populated region, law enforcement agencies A law enforcement agency (LEA) is a term used to describe any agency which enforces the law. This may be a local or state police, federal agencies such as the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) or the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA). for arrest or questioning. A Russian Embassy official in Washington, D.C., couldn't discuss details of the Uguryan case, but cited the lack of a treaty. ``At this moment we haven't got a treaty over extradition,'' said Alexey Timofeev, press secretary for the Russian Embassy. ``That's why we have to consider every case as a particular case, a unique case through diplomatic and government channels.'' The Armenian Embassy did not return calls seeking comment. Local authorities said the job of bringing suspects back from Armenia would be easier if America had an extradition treaty with that country, as it does with Mexico and more than 100 other nations. ``It's a lot easier to get away with murder if there is no extradition,'' said Detective George Shamlyan of the Los Angeles Police Department "LAPD" and "L.A.P.D." redirect here. For other uses, see LAPD (disambiguation).  This article or section is written like an . . Last month, Armenian authorities notified Shamlyan that one of the LAPD's most wanted Most Wanted may refer to:
U.S. authorities tried to get Akopyan sent back for trial in 2002 after he walked into the U.S. Embassy in Armenia with a fake passport bearing a different name and tried to get a visa. Armenian police arrested him on suspicion of using the fake passport, but within weeks they released the Armenian native instead of sending him back for trial, Shamlyan said. Responding to pressure from the FBI, Armenian police arrested Akopyan again this year, and this time they plan to try him in Armenia for the Hollywood shooting. ``I would prefer he get tried here, but I'm glad he's not going to walk scot-free after killing a human being here,'' Shamlyan said. ``There's going to be some sort of justice for the victim and the family.'' In 2003, Armenia abolished the death penalty to honor a commitment made when it joined the Council of Europe Council of Europe, international organization founded in 1949 to promote greater unity within Europe and to safeguard its political and cultural heritage by promoting human rights and democracy. The council is headquartered in Strasbourg, France. . That could complicate any future efforts to extradite ex·tra·dite v. ex·tra·dit·ed, ex·tra·dit·ing, ex·tra·dites v.tr. 1. To give up or deliver (a fugitive, for example) to the legal jurisdiction of another government or authority. 2. suspects from Armenia, if a treaty gets negotiated. ``Our biggest problem with other countries is the fact that we will not forgo the death penalty,'' University of Southern California The U.S. News & World Report ranked USC 27th among all universities in the United States in its 2008 ranking of "America's Best Colleges", also designating it as one of the "most selective universities" for admitting 8,634 of the almost 34,000 who applied for freshman admission law professor Edwin Smith Edwin Smith may refer to:
From the American side, there are other roadblocks to a treaty, not only with Armenia but also with Russia and other former Soviet bloc countries. ``We currently don't have any extradition treaties with countries in that region,'' said Rep. Adam Schiff, D-Pasadena. ``So I don't know Don't know (DK, DKed) "Don't know the trade." A Street expression used whenever one party lacks knowledge of a trade or receives conflicting instructions from the other party. if Armenia will be the first or Armenia will follow others.'' Before U.S. officials sign an extradition treaty with a country, they need assurances Americans would get a fair trial if sent there. The U.S. government is helping Armenia strengthen the rule of law, build its democracy and bolster an independent judiciary, Schiff said. ``All of those things I think are improvements that will eventually lead to an extradition agreement one day,'' he said. Until then, U.S. authorities and their Armenian counterparts cooperate on a case-by-case basis, and Southern California police say Armenian authorities have been helpful. In cases where the suspect is not an Armenian citizen, authorities there will often expel the suspect. In cases where the suspect can claim Armenian citizenship, suspects sometimes return voluntarily to the United States because they're out of money or wish to avoid harsh time in an Armenian prison. Through cooperation between U.S. and Armenian authorities, five suspects have ended up back in Southern California to face trial for violent crimes since 2004, according to the FBI. Since local prosecutors aren't obligated ob·li·gate tr.v. ob·li·gat·ed, ob·li·gat·ing, ob·li·gates 1. To bind, compel, or constrain by a social, legal, or moral tie. See Synonyms at force. 2. To cause to be grateful or indebted; oblige. to pay to return suspects from countries with which the United States doesn't have extradition treaties, the FBI has created a program to pay for those airline tickets. It's called Project Welcome Home. alex.dobuzinskis(at)dailynews.com (661) 257-5253 |
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