Swiss reject Ethiopia's request to extradite co-pilot

Hailemedhin Abera

GENEVA, Switzerland - The Swiss government has rejected Ethiopia's request to extradite a co-pilot who had hijacked an airliner last February.

Hailemedhin Abera, 30, hijacked an Ethiopian Airlines passenger plane that was on an Addis Ababa-Rome route and landed it safely in the Swiss city, thereby requesting a political asylum. The 202 passengers and crew onboard the Boeing 767 plane were not harmed

The VOA quoted a spokesperson of the Swiss Federal Justice Ministry as saying that criminal proceedings were underway for charges as Ethiopia's. For this reason, the spokesperson said, it was decided not to extradite the person to Ethiopia.

Ethiopia and Swistzerland don't have an extradition treaty.

The verdict comes as a victory for the pro-democracy Ethiopian Diaspora which had held several solidarity demonstrations and urged the Swiss government not to extradite the co-pilot to Addis Ababa, where the ruling party is often accused by reputable organizations such as Human Rights Watchof gross human rights violations.