A small and somewhat bitter update to the Sébastien Raoult case.
Sébastien’s father contacted DataBreaches tonight to say that they had just received a response from the Human Rights Committee of the United Nations. In response to Raoult’s appeal submitted on January 17, the committee responded by asking Morocco not to extradite Raoult while Raoult’s request is under consideration by that committee.
Frustratingly for Raoult’s family and friends, that request came too late, as Morocco extradited him on January 25 and he is already in U.S. custody.
According to the docket, Raoult is represented by a federal public defender. A jury trial is currently set for April 3, 3023 and he is being detained because he is viewed as a flight risk and danger to the community. Nothing in his detention order requires him to be placed in any facility where there are people who speak French or to have a translator available to him.
DataBreaches does not know if the Human Rights Committee will continue to consider the issues raised by Philippe Ohayon in his appeal on Raoult’s behalf. We hope they do as the situation could arise again for others.