Alleged Terrorist Labsi to Stay in Slovakia 18 March 2008 Slovakia's Constitutional Court on Thursday decided on the suspension of the extradition of Mustafa Labsi to his homeland Algeria. Kosice/Bratislava, March 13 (TASR-SLOVAKIA) - Slovakia's Constitutional Court on Thursday decided on the suspension of the extradition of alleged terrorist Mustafa Labsi to his homeland Algeria, Labsi's attorney Maria Kolikova has told SLOVAKIA. Kolikova welcomed the decision, calling it crucial for her client's protection. "The Constitutional Court has proven to be an effective tool in the protection of human rights. The gist of this case lies in the ban on torture which applies to everybody and under all circumstances," she said. According to her, not even a terrorist threat can divert our democratic society from its fundamental value - protection of basic human rights. Labsi appealed against the ruling of Slovakia's Supreme Court, which decided on his extradition to Algeria earlier this year. In his extensive complaint, he stated that the possible extradition poses a serious risk for him, as he may well be tortured during criminal proceedings in Algeria. Labsi, who is suspected of co-operating with the international terrorist network al-Qaeda, was arrested by Slovak police on May 4, 2007, when illegally crossing the Slovak-Austrian border. He has since been in custody in Bratislava, waiting to see whether or not he will be extradited to Algeria. tf/tm/sto http://www.tasr.sk/30.axd?k=20080313TBB00559 Recommend this article to a friend Your name: Your friend's email address: