Monday, July 16, 2001
Decision Due Thursday on Einhorn Extradition
<http://news.findlaw.com/news/s/20010716/franceusaeinhorndc.html>
PARIS (Reuters) - The European Court of Human Rights will decide on
Thursday whether to ask France again to delay the extradition of U.S.
fugitive Ira Einhorn, a spokeswoman for the court said on Monday.
The former hippie guru and anti-war activist, 61, slit his throat and cut
one of his wrists last Thursday in an attempt to avoid being sent home to
face trial for the murder of his girlfriend Holly Maddux in 1977.
His lawyers have appealed to the European court in Strasbourg after
France's highest administrative court ruled he should be extradited. The
Strasbourg court asked France last week to delay extradition moves until
July 19.
"The court will make a decision on Thursday whether or not to (recommend
that France) prolong the decision not to extradite," the spokeswoman Emma
Hellyer said.
She said the court would examine information from French authorities on
Einhorn's health before taking its decision.
Einhorn was sentenced in his absence by a court in Pennsylvania to life
imprisonment in 1993 for bludgeoning Maddux to death. He was tracked to
France in 1997 and is under police surveillance at his home in the village
of Champagne-Mouton, western France.
Einhorn denies killing Maddux. He says he was framed because he opposed the
Vietnam War.
The Strasbourg court has yet to determine whether Einhorn's appeal is
admissible.
If it admits the appeal, judges will examine whether extradition to the
state of Pennsylvania, which practices the death penalty, violates the
European Convention of Human Rights.
France is not obliged to abide by the court's ruling, but Hellyer has said
it is usual for governments to do so.
This archive was generated by hypermail 2b30 : Mon Jul 16 2001 - 21:11:19 EDT