OSCE Official Visits Pavlov, Raises Kazakh Extradition Concerns

Mukhtar Ablyazov's former bodyguard Aleksandr Pavlov in an image on the Interpol website

A top OSCE official has met in Madrid with a jailed associate of Kazakh oligarch and opposition figure Mukhtar Ablyazov, the organization says.

Isabel Santos, chairwoman of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly's Committee on Democracy, Human Rights, and Humanitarian Questions, met with Aleksandr Pavlov, Ablyazov's former bodyguard.

She said Pavlov is in good health and denied all accusations against him.

She also said she is "deeply concerned" that Pavlov's rights may be violated in order to obtain a confession if he is extradited to Kazakhstan.

Pavlov was detained by Spain last year on an Interpol warrant requested by Kazakhstan, which accuses Pavlov of terrorism and embezzlement.

Pavlov's request for political asylum was denied.

Rights groups fear he will be at risk of torture and an unfair trial in Kazakhstan.

Kazakhstan accuses Ablyazov of stealing $6 billion during a government takeover of his BTA Bank in 2009.