London
A British court this week refused a Russian request to extradite business tycoon Boris Berezovsky to face charges of plotting to overthrow President Vladimir Putin. Berezovsky, who was close to the Kremlin during the Yeltsin era, was granted political asylum by Britain in 2003. In January, Berezovsky told the Russian radio station Ekho Moskvy that the Putin regime had trampled the constitution. “There is only one way out,” he said. “A coup, a forced seizure of power.” He said he would use his vast wealth to fund such a coup. In denying Russia’s request that Berezovsky be sent home, the court said that as a political refugee, he could not be forced to return to the country he had fled.
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