Redgrave: Chechen rebel's life in danger

Vanessa Redgrave, the actress and political activist, yesterday escalated her campaign for Britain to give safe haven to a Chechen leader wanted by the Russians on terrorism charges. She claimed he would be murdered if he returned to Moscow.

In a move that will heighten tension between Tony Blair and the Russian President, Vladimir Putin, Ms Redgrave insisted Akhmed Zakayev, a well-known actor in his homeland, could not safely return to face trial.

"If he was sent back to Moscow this man would disappear – he would be tortured and there might be a brief press announcement saying 'Sadly, doctors had gone to see Mr Zakayev and he had had a heart attack' or something," she said.

Ms Redgrave, a human rights activist and supporter of the Chechen cause who is better known as an Oscar-winning member of the Redgrave acting dynasty, said Mr Zakayev had been a guest in her home on occasions since January. She insists he is not a terrorist and posted £50,000 bail to secure his release after he was arrested at Heathrow airport on Thursday night.

Mr Zakayev, 43, will appear at Bow Street Magistrates' Court in London on Wednesday as Britain awaits a formal extradition request from Moscow. Denmark has rejected a similar request on grounds of insufficient evidence and Moscow is already exerting pressure on the British government not to follow suit. The Russian administration has made it clear Britain must assist its "fight against terrorism" by handing over the envoy for the fugitive elected Chechen President, Aslan Maskhadov.

Despite the Foreign Office's insistence that the issue did not threaten Anglo-Russian relations, a senior adviser to the Duma – the Russian parliament – said in an interview with the BBC yesterday: "Moscow expects the West, and the UK in particular, to demonstrate its solidarity with the attempts of Moscow to curb terrorism and to fight the Chechen opposition and, therefore, as a matter of principle they would really like to see more co-operation on the British side."

In an attempt to quell Russian anger, the Foreign Office yesterday insisted the Danish legal precedent would not influence the decision of the British courts. However, it remains unclear whether Mr Zakayev will apply for political asylum, which would deepen the diplomatic row.