The case of Babar Ahmad, who like Gary McKinnon is a British IT worker facing extradition to the USA under the controversial "no prima facie evidence" Extradition Act 2003, was due to have been decided by the Home Secretary Charles Clarke yesterday.
However, according to this press release from the Free Babar Ahmad campaign:
"The Home Secretary Charles Clarke has asked for an extension until September 2005 for his final decision on the extradition of alleged terror suspect Babar Ahmad to the United States of America.Mr Ahmad was originally arrested, fully investigated and released without charge by British Authorities in December 2003. He was rearrested on an extradition warrant from the United States in August 2004.
After a Magistrate gave the ruling on 17th May that Mr Ahmad could be extradited to the U.S, the matter was handed over to the Home Secretary to decide. The Home Secretary had 60 days to make his decision, which would have expired on 16th July 2005. The Home Office has stated that they would like more time in order to find a new Lawyer to give them advice on American Law, especially in relation to the Death Penalty.
Under the new UK-U.S. Extradition Treaty 2003, the U.S does not have to provide prima facie evidence to support their allegations. If successfully extradited, lawyers for Mr Ahmad argue that he is very likely to face:• Gross abuses in U.S. prisons: no access to visitors, no private access to a lawyer.
• Denial of a fair trial: unreliable evidence obtained under torture can be used
• Rendition: he could be secretly kidnapped and sent to a third state for torture.
• Military Tribunal: he could be sent to Guantanamo Bay.
• Death Penalty: he could be placed on Death Row.Mr Ahmad’s family have agreed to the request for an extension. Babar Ahmad's case has become well-known nationally. Many people, Muslims and non-Muslims, have been lobbying their MP’s to voice their concerns over this extradition and how the Extradition Treaty 2003 is a threat to their civil liberties. 73 MPs so far have signed an Early Day Motion (EDM No. 241 tabled by Boris Johnson) opposing the Treaty.
We hope that Mr Clarke will be sensitive in his decision to the many issues surrounding this complex case, especially in terms of its effects on community relations.
Free Babar Ahmad
14th July 2005"
It seems astonishing that the Home Office did not get top United States legal opinions before they draughted the Extradition Act 2003 legislation.
Gary McKinnon faces exactly the same theoretical possabilities of US Military "justice" , "rendition"/torture or the death penalty, so the case of Babar Ahmad may set a legal precedent for Gary and for the other people who are being extradited to the USA without prima facie evidence presented to a UK court, for alleged crimes which were committed in the UK, which fall under UK law, such as the Enron/NatWest 3 David Bermingham, Giles Darby and Gary Mulgrew.
All of these people should face a UK court under UK law, of which there is plenty, and if convicted, serve time in a UK prison.
Putfile.com
Best of luck.
jam
YEAH FREE THE GUY!!! Man the Us shit me.
Next comedy will be about the US
:)
J
Gary
Hey guys! It's Gary I'm free LOLOLOL !!!
JK GARY IS TEH GAY 1!!1!!1!111111OENEONE
Igor
IF you can't do the time, don't do the crime
fg
What crime exactly ? No prima facie evidence has been presented to a UK court.
In which country ? Afghanistan or Chechnya ?
In the case of Babar Ahmad, it is not even clear that he committed any crime.
See http://www.freebabarahmad.com for more details.
chris
have you tried applying for refugee status?
fg
Refugee status ? All the people facing extradition to the USA mentioned on this website: Gary McKinnon, Babar Ahmad, David Bermingham, Giles Darby and Gary Mulgrew etc. are *British*, and are currently here in the United Kingdom.
Jim Broad
The US would be seen in a more favourable light if they dropped the charges against Gary McKinnon and did not pursue hobbyist computer hackers with such vigour.
If the US government pursued only real terrorists they would gain more respect from citizens of Europe and would stop being seen as the bad guys.
Guantanamo hasn't done America any favours, neither has the sight of prisoners being abused by American soldiers on national TV.
If George Bush could find it within himself to Pardon Gary he would be seen as a president who listens to people in other countries and who recognises that computer hackers aren't the enemy.
The US should stick to finding real terrorists, as persecuting UK white collar workers is not helping their image in the eyes of the world.
To be seen to be extraditing only British nationals without Prima Facie evidence being presented, doesn't do much for the so called special relationship belief.
Citizens in the UK are beginning to wonder just who is running their country.
Please Mr US! Let Gary go! or let him be tried in his own country. He's just a computer geek after all. He used to be a hairdresser and has no formal training in computers. He's just a gentle, genuinely nice guy. Give him and his family their lives back again.
We all know how powerful the US are, you don't need to prove it. Let us see your compassionate side. Please!!!
Jim, Lucy, Charlie, Alison, Biba, Dan, Matt, Mark, Lorna, Gina, Joe and Benjamin.
Steve
----- Original Message -----
To: public.enquiries@homeoffice.gsi.gov.uk
Sent: Thursday, July 21, 2005 12:37 PM
Subject: Gary McKinnon Extradition. Charles Clark
Dear Charles Clark,
Please stop the extradition of Gary McKinnon going ahead.
He is just a computer geek who was looking for evidence of Aliens and UFO's. The new Extradition act was supposedly intended for terrorists. Gary McKinnon is not a terrorist and has spent more than three years with the fear of Extradition happening to him.
US justice is not at all like our justice system. People agree to plea bargains because the accused can't afford a good lawyer and because the threatened sentence is so ludicrous they have no choice. The likelihood of abuse in US jails is extremely high as Gary will be viewed as an enemy of the state.
Gary has done the US a Huge favour by exposing the incredible weaknesses in the American government's internet security, or lack of it.
There is little doubt that amateur Hackers in the UK will stop hacking now that they know they would be under threat of the ultimate sentence.
So who now is going to expose weaknesses in the West's Government internet security?
Hackers in unfriendly countries will carry on hacking and we might all be at risk.
Where is the sense in extraditing untrained UK computer hackers like Gary who are doing it as a leisure pursuit.
Every person has a right to know what sentence they are likely to face for a crime. To have made this unratified Extradition Treaty retrospective seems grossly unfair.
To say that this treaty was meant to be used to combat terrorism seems to have been untrue as only three out of the forty or so people the UK is planning to extradite are accused of being terrorists and Gary McKinnon is not one of them; he is a naive dreamer and a fool.
The US would be seen in a kinder light if they showed some humanity towards this type of crime and towards Gary McKinnon as would our own Prime Minister.
Free Gary McKinnon or let him be tried in his own country!!!
Regards
Pauline Smith and Steve Ballam.