It’s a good time to be a specialist in extradition law. In Britain, at the moment, there is a flurry of extradition cases. The United States wants Julian Assange, former MI6 agent Christopher Steele, and His Royal Highness Prince Andrew. Britain, on the other hand, is still demanding the extradition of Anne Sacoolas, the erstwhile British-based CIA operative who, it is believed, has been promoted in the agency since she ran down and killed teenager Harry Dunn. There seems to be an impasse except in the case of Julian Assange whose case is still before the courts; Prince Andrew’s case may never get there while Christopher Steele’s case hangs like a hat on a shaky nail. Meanwhile, the parents of poor Harry Dunn who died when Anne Sacoolas drove on the wrong side of the road are still demanding closure. Luckily for them they have a spokesman of the first rank, Radd Seiger. He has been on the show before, but we welcomed him back on board to tell us where the family stands at the moment.
In 1979 an earthquake happened in Latin America. The Sandinista revolution in Nicaragua prevailed and Oxfam described what happened next as “the threat of a good example.” Nicaragua, under the Sandinistas set out on a path of independent development and the miracles they performed drew people from all over the world. Agrarian reform, literacy, public health programmes were brought to the campesinos who had never seen the like of it before. It was a glittering example and one which the United States government of Ronald Reagan didn’t want to see replicated elsewhere so they set out to destroy it. The US-funded Contras went on a murderous rampage, killing the people who were carrying out the reforms. The Sandinistas were forced out of government then, however, they are back now. Dr. Paul Oquist was born and educated in the United States of America but 41 years ago he was a Sandinista militant, he is now a Sandinista minister and he joined Sputnik to tell us why Nicaragua is still under the US “cosh.”
