NGO Urges Bulgaria Not To Extradite Turkmen Dissident
April 12, 2007
Khakiev's sister, Ogulsapar Muradova, died in prison last year (Courtesy Photo)
The call comes as the extradition hearing starts today in the Black Sea port city of Varna.
The New York-based group says Khajiev will risk "persecution and torture" if he is sent back to Turkmenistan.
Khajiev, a former senior Turkmen Central Bank official, was arrested on February 19 in Varna on embezzlement charges following notification by Interpol. His supporters say the charges were politically motivated.
Khajiev is a senior member of the exiled opposition Watan party whose sister, RFE/RL correspondent Ogulsapar Muradova, died in a Turkmen jail in 2006 after a trial described by international human rights groups as unfair.