Ecuador to treat Belarusian same as Assange

QUITO: Ecuador says it will treat a request from Belarus for a former financial crimes investigator to be extradited with the same respect for human rights that guided it in the case of the WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange.

''Ecuador will put the emphasis on not extraditing a citizen whose life is at risk, from the death penalty or life in prison,'' said the Deputy Foreign Minister, Marco Albuja.

Less than a year ago an Ecuadorean judge denied a request to extradite Aliaksandr Barankov to Belarus, whose President, Alexander Lukashenko, has been nicknamed ''Europe's last dictator''.

Mr Barankov, 30, says he could be killed if he is sent home as he unearthed corruption at the highest levels of government.

A high court judge's decision on a new extradition request is due in the coming days. Ecuador's President, Rafael Correa, would then have the last word.

Mr Barankov's case came under scrutiny when Ecuador announced last week it was granting Mr Assange asylum because it deemed he ran the risk of being unfairly tried by the US and possibly facing the death sentence.

Mr Barankov arrived in Ecuador in 2009. In 2010 he was imprisoned for two months for overstaying his visa but freed when authorities granted him refugee status. But he was rearrested and sent back to a Quito jail in June, just before Mr Lukashenko visited Ecuador and signed trade agreements.

The former police captain is accused of fraud and extortion in Belarus, accusations he calls trumped up after he uncovered an oil-smuggling ring in which relatives of Mr Lukashenko were involved.

Told of Mr Albuja's statement, Mr Barankov was hopeful. Speaking from prison, he said: ''I want to say that this protects not just my life, but also protects the lives of my parents.''

On Wednesday, Mr Correa said he would not comment on the Barankov case until Judge Carlos Ramirez of the National Court of Justice ruled. A court official said a ruling was expected ''in coming days''.

Mr Lukashenko has ruled Belarus for 18 years by fixing elections, quashing free speech, jailing dissidents and keeping 80 per cent of industry in state hands.

Associated Press