Zeeland may be extradited to the United States

A woman from Terneuzen may be extradited to the United States. She is accused by the American justice of financing the Somali terrorist organization al-Shabaab. The woman tried to prevent extradition through summary proceedings, but she lost.

The Somali woman argued at the hearing that the extradition would be a human rights violation because she would have had to wait too long for a decision. The extradition would also violate the lives of her and her six children, writes Zeeland broadcaster.

According to the preliminary relief judge, it can be assumed “that the children will not benefit from the extradition of their mother, that the extradition will (temporarily) separate the children from their mother and that direct contact will probably not be possible for a period of time”, but it is not serious enough to prevent extradition.

Serious Facts

According to the judge, the woman can serve a possible sentence in the Netherlands, so that she only stays in the US during the criminal proceedings. The judge ruled that she can have contact with her children by telephone and in writing while she is detained there. According to the judge, the children can also stay with their father.

According to the judge, the offenses for which the US wants to prosecute the woman are “serious offenses, which in the judgment of the extradition judge justify the extradition”.

Business has been going on for years

The case has been going on for a long time. The woman was born in Somalia and has lived in the Netherlands since 1999. In 2014 she was requested by the United States detained, the Americans had already asked for her extradition.

In 2015, the extradition request was handled by the court in Rotterdam. The judge then concluded that more documents were needed to answer the question about extradition.

After the US provided additional information at the end of 2017, the case was re-examined in January last year. Then it was decided that the woman may be extradited and the minister adopted this decision.

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