Is it likely that someone other than the Russians offed Khangoshvili? Likely? No. It's certainly in the realm of possibility, so some care is needed. If one country misattributes some random killing to Russia, every future assassination will be suspect... and an entire army of folks will be there to question them.
If it was a Russian action, was the extra-judicial killing justified or was it murder? Of course it's not justified. There was no imminent threat. File for extradition, if the Germans don't hand him over, use diplomatic pressure. They could have had a kangaroo court convict the guy and shot him anyway. This was to send a message, well, another message.
And if it was murder, what action by Germany seems appropriate and proportionate? The most important thing is that Germany shouldn't have to do this alone. This is something that could happen to every NATO country and others. There should be coalitions built up around this so the next time, when it happens in Belgium, France, or Italy, there will be a group ready to, well, expel a diplomat or two. Nothing serious is going to happen in response to this single instance, after all, Russia invaded Ukraine and annexed some territory and very little happened.
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Date: 11/12/19 07:56 (UTC)Likely? No. It's certainly in the realm of possibility, so some care is needed. If one country misattributes some random killing to Russia, every future assassination will be suspect... and an entire army of folks will be there to question them.
If it was a Russian action, was the extra-judicial killing justified or was it murder?
Of course it's not justified. There was no imminent threat. File for extradition, if the Germans don't hand him over, use diplomatic pressure. They could have had a kangaroo court convict the guy and shot him anyway. This was to send a message, well, another message.
And if it was murder, what action by Germany seems appropriate and proportionate?
The most important thing is that Germany shouldn't have to do this alone. This is something that could happen to every NATO country and others. There should be coalitions built up around this so the next time, when it happens in Belgium, France, or Italy, there will be a group ready to, well, expel a diplomat or two. Nothing serious is going to happen in response to this single instance, after all, Russia invaded Ukraine and annexed some territory and very little happened.