Polish Court Refuses Extradition of Suspects in Volkov Attack

A Polish court has decided not to extradite two men suspected of attacking Leonid Volkov, an aide to the late Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny. The suspects are facing wider proceedings in Poland. Volkov was injured in the attack in Vilnius, and the suspects were arrested in Poland in April.

A Polish court decided on Thursday that a second man suspected of attacking Leonid Volkov, an exiled top aide to late Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny, will not be extradited to Lithuania, after taking the same stance on the other man last week.

The court said they should not be sent to Lithuania as there are wider proceedings against them taking place in Poland. Volkov suffered injuries from hammer blows in the attack on March 12 outside his home in Vilnius, the Lithuanian capital. Two men suspected of attacking him were arrested in Poland in April on a European Arrest Warrant issued by Lithuania.

The two suspects are Polish citizens. They had been charged in Lithuania with intentionally causing minor bodily harm to Volkov because of his beliefs, which is punishable by a fine or a jail term. Late Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny died in February in a Russian Arctic prison. Russian authorities say he died of natural causes. His followers believe he was killed by the authorities, which the Kremlin denies.

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