Pasic: The Ramadani case will produce political and legal consequences between Skopje and Belgrade

Lawyer and former military prosecutor Dragan Pasic says that the non-extradition of Blerim Ramadani will most likely lead to political and legal consequences in the relations between North Macedonia and Serbia.

"There will most likely be political consequences. Let me remind you that the Republic of North Macedonia did not extradite Garuf Dugoli and (Tomor) Morina. That was a few years ago, and I don't expect that they will extradite Blerim Ramadani either. When I mention legal consequences, I refer to the principle of reciprocity. This means that if North Macedonia were to make such requests to our country, the question arises whether our country would comply with such requests. Naturally, this also leads to political consequences. It concerns the trust between our states and the future of political cooperation," Pasic said to Kosovo Online.

He explains that all extradition procedures for individuals with international warrants always represent both a political and legal issue.

"Extradition is both a political and legal issue. The 1957 European Convention on Extradition obligates the signatory states to mutually extradite citizens who have committed crimes recognized by all states that are signatories to the convention," Pasic explains.

He adds that there are exceptions to extradition and cites the example from early 2017, when Ramush Haradinaj, the leader of the Alliance for the Future of Kosovo, was arrested upon arrival at the Basel-Mulhouse Airport in eastern France based on an Interpol warrant.

"On the other hand, there are exceptions to extradition. This is particularly characteristic of France, which has used this right before. Let me remind you of the case of Ramush Haradinaj when France found that the legal grounds for extradition were met, but it was deemed unjustified to extradite him to our country because, in their opinion, he would not receive equal treatment compared to other citizens of our country. So, it is both a legal and political issue, although it should be based on law," Pasic explains.

He also recalls that a Treaty on Extradition between Serbia and North Macedonia was concluded on November 29, 2011.

"According to that treaty, the Republic of North Macedonia is obligated to extradite citizens at the request of our country who have committed crimes on our territory," Pasic explains.