Refugee awaiting deportation hospitalized

WITH A 10-YEAR jail sentence awaiting him in his home country a former Ecuadorian politician was transferred to hospital one day after being arrested for deportation.

Galo Lara Yépez was taken from a jail cell to Santo Tomas Hospital reportedly with heart problems. The hospital is being heavily guarded by agents of the Judicial Investigation Department.

He had been living under asylum in Panama, but it was revoked and he was taken into custody to await extradition on Monday on charges he was involved in the murder of three people in Ecuador.
Lara Yépez said that he is a victim of "political persecution" because he denounced corruption in the administration of President Rafael Correa.
His lawyer, José Nelson Brandao, has said that that the politician will not be deported to Ecuador until his application for refugee status is resolved. He said deporting Lara Yépez before that petition is resolved would be a grave human rights violation.
The opposition leader was sentenced to 10 years in prison as an accomplice to the murder. Panama revoked asylum for Lara Yépez when it determined the case was not a matter of political persecution.