COPENHAGEN, Denmark (AP) —
A Danish court on Thursday rejected India’s extradition request for a Danish citizen accused of involvement in a gun-smuggling case 29 years ago, defying the opinion of Denmark’s top prosecution authority, which had given the green light to send Niels Holck abroad.
Holck admitted that he was involved in dropping assault rifles, rocket launchers and missiles from a cargo plane in eastern India in 1995. According to Indian police, the missiles were intended for a revolutionary group in the country.
The Hillerod court said that despite the “additional diplomatic assurances” given by India, “there is a real risk” that Holck will face torture or other inhuman treatment in India.
Holck, 62, said he feared for his life if he was extradited.
“I would like to be held accountable in court because I believe it is a justified emergency, but I would rather not die from it,” Holck told Danish radio DR on Thursday morning, before the verdict was announced.
While a British citizen and five Latvians were arrested by Indian authorities after dropping their weapons, Holck, formerly known as Niels Christian Nielsen, managed to escape.
India first asked Denmark to extradite Holck in 2002. The government agreed, but two Danish courts rejected his extradition, saying he would be at risk of torture or other inhuman treatment in India. That led to tense diplomatic relations between the countries.
In June 2023Denmark has reconsidered a 2016 Indian extradition request and said it met the requirements of the extradition law.