A U.S. federal judge turned down the request from former Panamanian dictator Manuel Noriega to avoid extradition to France. Noriega should be sent to Panama upon his release in September according to his lawyer and sending him to France would be against the Geneva Conventions. Yet U.S. District Judge Paul Huck disagreed: The ruling from U.S. District Judge Paul Huck, which followed three earlier court decisions approving the planned extradition, addressed concerns raised by Noriega's attorneys over France's refusal to formally designate Noriega a prisoner of war.
"Without that status of being declared a prisoner of war, there is no guarantee he will continue to receive those benefits," said Jon May, one of Noriega's attorneys.
Huck disagreed, saying he was satisfied with France's commitment to treat Noriega, 73, in accordance with the Geneva Conventions.
"What more could Noriega ask for or be entitled to?" Huck asked. "It's the benefits. It's not the nicety that he's called a prisoner of war."
French courts convicted Noriega in absentia on money laundering charges though he may face a retrial and possibly by sentenced to ten year in prison.
Noriega was captured during a 1990 U.S. invasion of Panama and convicted two years later.
Sources- AFP, Associated Press, CNN, South Florida Sun-Sentinel, Wikipedia
Image- BBC News
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