Russian newspaper claims Russia could have abducted Chechen representative Ahmed Zakayev in Helsinki

Anna Politkovskaya

Ahmed Zakayev

Johannes Koskinen

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Journalist Anna Politkovskaya's recent article in the Novaya Gazeta newspaper, about the replaced Chechen president Aslan Mashadov's special representative Ahmed Zakayev's cancelled seminar trip to Finland, has provoked a minor sensation in Russia.
     
According to the article, Finland's Minister of Justice Johannes Koskinen had said to the organisers of the seminar, the Green League MPs Heidi Hautala and Matti Wuori, that "he was unable to guarantee Zakayev's safety in Finland against the Russian secret service".
      "According to Politkovskaya, the minister could not guarantee that Russian secret service officials wouldn't have seated Zakayev on a Russian plane in Helsinki and flown him to be interrogated in the Lefortovo prison", Finland's Ministry for Foreign Affairs quoted Novaya Gazeta in a recent press round-up.
      Politkovskaya called this a "serious scandal for Finland", and asked: "Who runs the country, the Finnish government or the Russian secret service?"
      The Russian Ministry for Foreign Affairs also commented on Politkovskaya's article on their website, claiming that Finnish officials' statements and the whole state of affairs had been grossly misconstrued by the writer.
     
Politkovskaya has continued probing into the matter in her latest article in the same newspaper. She claims it is possible that Zakayev's handing over may really have been planned, as the Russian Ministry for Foreign Affairs was so quick to deny everything.
      Politkovskaya also hinted that minister Koskinen may have to step down because of the "Zakayev scandal".
     
On Monday, Koskinen denied having said anything about the Russian secret service during a telephone conversation with Matti Wuori.
      Koskinen explained that he had been unable to promise in advance that Finland would not consider handing Zakayev over to Russian officials, should Russia come up with an official request of extradition, as arguments for such a request could not be known in advance.
      Koskinen also pointed out that had Zakayev shown up, the Finnish police should have arrested him in any case, as he is wanted by Interpol. "But even in that case, Zakayev would have been handed over by the Finnish police, not by Russian security agents", Koskinen explained.


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