Michael Meacher MP
House of Commons
London SW1A 0AA8 September 2009
PRESS RELEASE
CROSS-PARTY DELEGATION OF SENIOR MPs TO URGE HOME SECRETARY NOT TO EXTRADITE GARY McKINNON
A delegation of senior MPs is to meet with the Home Secretary, Alan Johnson, tomorrow to ask him to prevent the extradition of Gary McKinnon who has Aspergers Syndrome and faces extradition to the US to face charges of hacking into US military computer systems.
Michael Meacher, who sought the meeting, together with David Davis and Chris Huhne, are due to meet the Home Secretary at noon on Wednesday 9th September.
Alan Johnson has previously said that there was nothing legally he could now do to prevent the extradition. However, based on leading counsel's opinion, Michael Meacher said:
"Not only has the Home Secretary got the power but he has the duty to intervene in an extradition case even after the court process has ended if there is a real risk of a human rights breach should extradition proceed. Gary's medical condition is such that medical experts have concluded there is a grave risk to Mr McKinnon's health if he is extradited to the US. There is no reason why he cannot face charges in the UK for an act which took place in the UK."
ENDS
For further information, contact Jon Lansman on 01992 589004 or 07710 541410
UPDATE:
From left to right:
Chris Huhne, MP (Eastleigh), current Liberal Democrat Shadow Home Secretary
Rt. Hon. Michael Meacher MP (Oldham West & Royton) former Labour Environment Minister.
Janis Sharp, the mother of Gary McKinnon.
Rt. Hon. David Davis MP (Haltemprice & Howden), former Conservative Shadow Home Secretary.
It is too early to tell what effect today's meeting of these three senior Members of Parliament and Privy Counsellors had on the current Labour Home Secretary Rt. Hon. Alan Johnson MP (Kingston upon Hull West & Hessle),but Janis Sharp's meeting with the three MPs seemed to go well.
amanfromMars
In reply to ... http://www.theregister.co.uk/2009/09/09/mckinnon_home_office_mp_delegation/
To consider the release of an autistic person such as McKinnon [and a foreign and alien being to boot in these specific circumstances] into a show trial and likely imprisonment in the US, where Lawlessness Reigns Supreme in Random Conscious Acts of Rough Natural Justice and Absolute Punishment, would be a Quite Despicable Cowardly Act of Premeditated/PreMediated Torture applied by the Host Nation .... UKGBNI
Intelligence and Greater Understanding has certainly taken Flight from the Building in such an Irregular and Unconventional/Bizarre Extradition Request.
"During a House of Commons debate, Johnson said his hands were tied and he was unable to intervene in extradition proceedings except in cases where the death penalty was involved." ..... What a Weed. Will an Honourable Member please loose his ties and give him a brain that Thinks Pretty Good when Beta.
Government is for Providing the Future not for Trashing and Thrashing the Past with its Mistakes. IT aint Helpful in those Cases. And all such cases are just Followings of a Mental Condition and/or Mental Conditioning [Optional for the Need to Know PreCogniscenti .... with Remote Viewing Controls ..... for Power Grid Even Distribution from Space Fleet Command and Control ........ CyberIntelAIgent Security Securities and Treasured Bonds Operations Centres.
Solo is never Abandoned to Fickle Feckless Fate when Destiny would AIRTest a NEUKlearer Blast of Inconvenient Truth for Gravitational EMP Waves of XXXXStream HyperRadioProActive IT.
Semper Fidelis Rules for Mutual Respect Reigns.]
matt
This sounds promising guys or am i missing something ?
NeilT
I would suggest to the Cross Party delegation that it would now be impossible for Gary to receive a fair trial in light of the feelings running so high over the release of the Lockerbie Bomber.
It seems to me that it is now almost impossible for Gary to receive a fair and impartial trial in the US and that the Jury would be likely to try and punish him for the actions of the UK government.
On these grounds alone the Home Secretary would be justified in denying trial in the US. Although he might want to allow US legal representation at the trial as a sop to the US Justice system.
Or, of course, we could make the full production of it and have him tried in the Hague as an International Criminal of Note....... If we really wanted to become completely stupid about it... Then we could let him go free!
Elle Hart, Elec.Eng.Tech.
The whole case is a disgusting excuse of justice. I have been following Gary for 6 years and am absolutely outraged at his treatment by officials. Definitely one-sided is obvious. Anarchy is the way to go looks like, given he system is tainted beyond repair.
Sorry for Gary and his family that they have had to endure this stressful legal joke. Gary has definitely been made to be the "example" to save american embarassment. But I can tell you it does not stop there - everyone who is anyone has been inside the US military networks. It has been the laugh of the internet for YEARS to us in the know. Yes - I have been there many times and not just one location :: all over the place. And so has every righeous hacker on the planet - ever since I can remember...
Gary is not a terrorist - stop the hatred against hackers
Elle
Matt T
http://www.scpr.org/news/2009/09/10/court-says-judge-should-have-allowed-aspergers-def/
A federal court has ruled that a Caltech student should have been able to refer to his Asperger’s syrdrome as a defense in a high-profile arson case. The court overturned William Cottrell’s conviction in the torching of dozens of SUVs at car dealerships in the San Gabriel Valley six years ago. KPCC’s Frank Stoltze says prosecutors at the time called the crime an act of eco-terrorism.
http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/local/no-jail-time-for-man-convicted-of-seeking-sex-with-girl-9-58914752.html
Brian Woodard-Peach, 21, was given a one-year conditional sentence Thursday for the rare crime of Internet luring. "He was a very immature 18-year-old (at the time of the offence)," said defence lawyer Josh Weinstein. "Asperger's made it very difficult for him to act appropriately."
Interesting....
fg
@ Matt T - "Interesting...." - but completely different types of cases - Gary is not accused of anything like that.
Elle Hart, Elec.Eng.Tech.
All in all - the Gary McKinnon case has raised alarm in all cyber groups and classes of technological people.
This in an economic environment where profit drives down the value of IT staff and leads the way to cheap coding practices, here we have this case citing all in the know to be possible threats to global security.
The only threat to global security is the governments and corporations that are violating all sacred humanitarian values for profit and missrepresenting the facts.
The only way to stop this abusive behaviour of corrupt officials and harmfull corporate practices is full disclosure. And this is also the only way that a case like Gary McKinnon can be prevented from occuring again. Open the books and lets see who is the real threat to global security and where the money is going.
Till then, you can bet that all in the know have felt the prejudice expressed in this case and that might be a very bad bad thing. For the same technotogy that protects you can also be the same technology of your demise...
Elle
gish
As usual this present goverment has shown us that they are not fit to govern anyone let alone pander to america who has no place dictating to us.
I never voted for brown or anybody in our present cabinet, and it seems we were all hoodwinked by that other scoundrel blair who ran like a rat from the sinking ship! I'm not a tory either!! Wake up people look around you look at what is happenning to our country, and look at the very few previlaged indaviduals WHO are taking over our lives.
Love peace
marieanne
Has the whole world gone mad? Some of the greatest brains in history have been Aspies. Instead of tapping in on a fantastic brain and put it to good use. He gets locked up for 70 years?? I have one son with Aspergers and four other son's, one of which is on the spectrum. My husband is most probably an undiagnosed Aspie. Life is tough living with them, but truth be known I would not have it any other way.
I also suspect that one very famous american who has just been lost at a fairly early age was also on the spectrum. these brilliant yet so vulnerable people need protecting by society, or the great gifts they have will not be shared with the rest of us. where will that leave the human race?? Boring pigeon holed, clones to be manipulated for the benifit of those who think they are in power. The greatest power of all, NATURE, put Aspies here for a reason. Abuse them at the peril of mankind.
Lucy
http://www.liberty-human-rights.org.uk/issues/extradition/flight-warning-take-action.shtml
Lucy
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/uk/article6843738.ece
That "Special relationship" with the USA just keeps getting stronger - NOT!!
david griffin
Can we get an update on what's going on?
Honeybear+dulce
Most of the controversial information that Gary has hinted at about his findings from mining the U.S. government's U.F.O. data bases has now reached the public domain from other sources or Gary. Bases on Mars, a star fleet, free energy, etc. The below links provide almost all of the information that Gary was searching for 8 or so years ago. Extraditing him is a moot point as far as U.S. national security or profits is concerned. Even just on the technical issue of entering the U.S. computer system without authorization is outdated.
I don't want to slam British politicians or set the British establishment up as "straw-men," but, considering the outrageous behavior of members of the American establishment, such as touching the Queen and shunning Brown (just this week), the American establishment would probably not dare to critisize Brown's government for rejecting the extradition request, now. I think that America's rudeness to its best friend has gone beyond the tipping point.
http://www.think-aboutit.com/dulce/other_dulce_files.htm
http://wwww.think-aboutit.com/dulce.htm
http://www.thewatcherfiles.com/war.htm
Stu
"considering the outrageous behavior of members of the American establishment, such as touching the Queen and shunning Brown"
Oh Honeybear - you crack me up. Who in the current American establishment has "touched the queen"? and Brown is being "shunned" because he's about the lose the next election by a bigger margin than Blair won in '97 - oh and there is the small issue of us releasing a terrorist back to Libya so we could keep our oil deal.
As for a star fleet and bases on Mars, you know I get the impression that these crackpots are now being encouraged as some kind of strategy. I don't think it does any harm either way to be honest - this case is now in the political long grass for the tories to deal with in June next year and good luck to Gary - this whole thing has got way too ridiculous now.
Elle Hart, Elec.Eng.Tech.
None of this would have ever been an issue if we had open government.
In an open government we would have access to:
- all known information pertaining to the natural world including alien technology discovered
- how much money is going into the oil wars and other government sponsored programs
- voting on separate bills before they become law -ie extradition
No - but the citizens would rather have some shallow yes man guilty of extortion to make critical decisions that destroy the future of the entire planet.
Veronica
"... this whole thing has got way too ridiculous now".
Spot on.
Honeybear
Has Gary written a book yet? If he has, that 10 foot barge pole to a job won't matter. Also, it would be quite interesting. Is Gary banned from computers or the Internet? If just the Internet, he should write a book. With a co-author of course, to check out and verify his claims.
Lesley Bince
Anybody who understands Asperger's should be on Gary's team. He is clearly particularly erudite and intelligent and has a lot to say. Why are they trying to silence him? He has the respect and admiration of myself and my son, both on the spectrum. How great is it that such clever artists have supported him. And more power to David Davies and Shami
Elle Hart, Elec.Eng.Tech.
So, do we get an update on the meeting?
There is a lot of supportive citizens globally that need to know the status of Gary Mckinnon's case!
And since there is a news ban here in North America,the only way to get this update is online.
Personally - I feel very angry about the way the whole case was handled right from 0-day and have been following the case for seven years now.
Why? Because it IS ABOUT ALL OF US. Not just Gary. It is about the lies and corruption in government and how citizens are made to pay for the lies and corruption.
It is about our world - our future. Do we want the lies and corruption to continue destroying our lives and the environment? Or is it time for everyone to wake uo and take responsibility.
We can no longer allow the governments to make choices for us - we need to decide for ourselves what the definition of civilization is. Profit or people.
FREE GARY!
Stu replied to comment from Elle Hart, Elec.Eng.Tech.
Elle
Your talk of a "news ban" in North America just means people can't take you seriously...... not that they ever did obviously.
There is not a news ban - its just not going to fill column inches on a daily basis. Gary's case is important, because of the questions it raises about the UK/USA extradition agreement, and nothing to do with goverment lies blah blah corruption blah blah destroying lives blah environment blah.
Here's a tip - have you ever heard of Google? They provide a helpful searchable news service that you make like to try. To keep it simple for you, I have provided a handy URL that you may try at your leisure. You may want to take countermeasures in case Google have been hired by government to spy on your news viewing habits.
http://news.google.co.uk/news/search?pz=1&cf=all&ned=uk&hl=en&q=gary+mckinnon
Troy
Just wanted to let Gary and his mom know that I, an American, hope that Gary stays in England and doesn't get extradited to the U.S.
There is no reason that the British courts can't handle this themselves and it is my opinion that extraditing Gary is nothing short of inhumane.
Best wishes and good luck.
Jon Pitans
This isn't about justice, its about revenge - the US government embarrassed in front of the whole world by one guy on a 56k modem in his bedroom. The USA's reaction to this episode is, to my mind, not unlike a spoilt child throwing a tantrum after being shown up in front of the class. America should give Gary a hugely paid job FIXING the holes in their obviously lax security network, instead of trying to put him in prison as a terrorist.
I for one offer my wholehearted support to Gary and his family and sincerely hope our current masters here in the UK can grow some balls and tell America where to get off.
Good luck
John
Links to TV interviews over last two days on Gary McKinnon.
http://bit.ly/bszhb1 BBC news 24
http://bit.ly/bOITV London Tonight
http://bit.ly/be8Pew BBC London
http://bit.ly/aC8wTS Tom Bradby mention on ITN
John
Had Gary McKinnon been the slightest threat whatsoever he would not have been left to remain online for three and a half years after he was arrested in March 2002.
No one in the world has ever been extradited for computer misuse.
Marc Kirby, a computer forensic scientist who was the senior police officer in charge of the National High Tech Crime Unit Squad when Gary was arrested made a public statement last week and said that Gary McKinnon should be tried in the U.K and the ongoing pursuit of him is spiteful and vindictive.
A man in Romania hacked into the Pentagon and was sentenced to eight months prison in Romania and there was no extradition request.
A man in Israel hacked into the Pentagon and was given no sentence whatsoever and there was no extradition request.
Because the last British government were stupid enough to sign away the rights of British citizens cia a one sided extradition treaty with the U.S America has taken advantage of this and is targetting our most vulnerable citizens including, 60 year old Liz Prosser, Brian and Kerry Howes and 67 year old cancer sufferer Ian Norris.
Not in a million years would the U.K be targetting American citizens for minor crimes like these, if crimes they were.
All of the U.S allegations against Gary McKinnon are just that, hugely overblown allegations as clearly shown at the last court hearing.
Either the proscutors have no knowledge of computers or hacking whatsoever or they are vindictive to the core.
The U.S wants to extradite a guy with Aspergers for trespassing (as the U.S had no passwords and no firewalls on thousands of machines) and because Gary left countless cyber notes warning them that their security was virtually non existent and they really ought to do something about it.
He was a whistleblower no less and was looking for evidence of UFO technology and Free energy that could help to reduce the effects of climate change.
If someone leaves a securicor van full of gold unattended for not weeks but for years on end and someone walks in, has a look around and alerts the authorities; we would be very glad that he did. The securicor driver would lose his job and the company would not be insured but we would not prosecute the whistleblower.
Disclosure from the CPS at Gary McKinnon's last court hearing showed that the lawyer when responding to evidence provided by the U.S had written "No evidence, Hearsay".
Computer expert Professor Peter Sommer gave a statement to the court saying that the alleged financial damage was not for damage as such but was the cost of the U.S authorities having to install firewalls and security that they should have had installed in the first place.
Know when to let it go U.S. This is making you look bad. Stop pursuing people such as Gary McKinnon, Liz Prosser and the Howes family and send 67 yr old Ian Norris home to the U.K and show that you actually are human.
Lorna
Cyberspace is an invention of science fiction writers. It has no more legal existance than does never never land.
No hacker has ever been extradited. America thinks it has jurisdiction over the whole world.
Claire
5% of the worlds population are in america
25% of the worlds prison population are in america
1 in every 99 adults are in jail in america
the proportion of americans in prison is more than twice that of south africa, more than three times that of Iran more than six times that of china.
No society in history has imprisoned more of its citizens than the US
1 in 30 males between the ages of 20 and 34 are in jail .
1 in 9 of black males are in jail
There are more 17 year old black males in jail than in college.
Prison slave labour produces 100% of military helmets, amunition belts, bullet proof vests and other items of uniform, 93% of domestically produced paints, 36% of home appliances and 21% of office furniture.
America has reinvented slavery
And the extradition treaty is the reinvention of the slave trade.
and I haven't even mentioned torture.
nobody should be extradited to america ever..... until it cleans up its act
Source:
http://www.globalresearch.ca/index.php?context=va&aid=8289
Also Stephen Fry video: http://www.youtube.com/user/OwilsonO#p/a/f/2/gwT6CisM0mU
John
Take criminal damage. It is not an offence if, you are acting to prevent a worse outcome as long as you honestly held the view that a worse outcome would occur if you did not act.
For example, if I see smoke coming from a house and I kick the door in and find someone is having a sauna, I am not guilty of criminal damage, breaking and entering etc, as long as I honestly felt the house was on fire.
So Gary McKinnon seeing that there were no Passwords or firewalls on thousands of machines left cyber notes telling them that they had virtually no security. Had he not done this he would have failed in his duty as a good citizen of planet Earth.
Another classic example is the damage done to hawker jets by peaceniks. They argued they were preventing worse damage (i.e. bombing people). Jury went; yup, we accept that.
Optimis
That the US had/has military computer systems that can so easily be hacked
shows a degree of ineptitude that is frightening.
It doesn't take much of a programmer to generate endless plausible logins and passwords in a "brute force" attack - any halfwitted systems programmer knows
to disconnect repeated unsuccessful password cracking attempts.
Anything remotely sensitive should sit behind a "One time Pad" system
as used by many banks.
That any really important system can be accessed from the Net is ludicrous.
It's the goons who allowed this absurd situation to occur who should be behind bars.
If you have ultrasensitive data - then you simply do not allow any Internet access - as is generally done with really confidential data. The only impregnible firewall is simply a lack of physical connection.
Locking Mckinnon up solves nothing, does not help the US, is no deterrent and gives out a message about the nature of the US that is (and I put it politely) far from favourable.
Tarzan
The cruelty inflicted on Mr McKinnon is bad enough, but it's more important than that: nothing less than our right to call ourselves an independent sovereign state is at stake here. Can anyone imagine the French, the Germans, the Israelis, the Americans themselves or any other country on the planet even considering surrendering one of its citizens in these circumstances?
I doubt if even one of the East European countries in the days of the Iron Curtain would have extradited one of their citizens to the USSR for something like this; not after about 1960 anyway.
Jay
This will be a good test of humanity.
Unlike Old Labour, I hope the ConDem government will be able to prove that their tongues aren't rammed up Obama's arse.
Free Gary Now as promised by Nick Clegg, David Cameron, Dominic Grieve,Chris Huhne and William Hague etc etc
Snedgers
The American government has, in the past snubbed British legal process by refusing to allow American servicemen, involved in actions in Iraq which have resulted in loss of life amongst British soldiers, to appear at inquests here. I would be delighted to see this new government abandoning this ridiculous and one-sided, fast track extradition process to the US by denying the extradition of McKinnon on any grounds.
Honeybear
John: "...For example, if I see smoke coming from a house and I kick the door in and find someone is having a sauna, I am not guilty of criminal damage..." Don't "try" this in New York City - the City of Civil Litigation.
Optimis: "That the US had/has military computer systems that can so easily be hacked
shows a degree of ineptitude that is frightening..." Wrong Optimus!!!!
In all seriousness, security on the U.S. government's computers that Gary penetrated have been slightly disabled on purpose. In 1991, Mark Lane wrote in his book PLAUSIBLE DENIAL, that corporations control America. This was before the explosion of conspiracy theorists and before Gary (B.G.) came on the scene. It's all about money. Private contractors (corporations) is where the money is. So, America's public sector of loyal and patriotic people is sabotaged and then outsourced (N.G.O) to the corporations who control the politicians in the first place.
I had an epiphany a few weeks ago when I read the comments from a secure private speech of a chap named Eric Prince who leads the private security firm that used to be called Blackwater, in South Asia. It was responsible for the security at the C.I.A. base whereat the female American C.I.A. operative and three other operatives were blown up by a Jordainian C.I.A. agent who had been cleared through security by Blackwater. At first I thought that the female operative was the blond female operative who had been reported in the news as having had participated in the torture of a British subject and that the "chickens had come home to roost." But, Prince's corporation it turns out, had responsibility for the C.I.A's. security and in response to the murders of the operatives, he said that "it's the cost of war." That means that U.S. citizens who're employed by the C.I.A. are just dollars and cents and if their murders increase profits, it'll happen. Being human, having families, and each having their own contributions to this world (aside from mistakes like torture) are a joke, according to Prince and the corporations.
When things in Gary's case, like the lack of security at the Pentagon, don't add up, just think of Mr. Prince and their sense of duty for America's security - their profits.
Rob McKinnon
Hi Gary,
I am sure we are related somehow.. I mean....
1)have mental disability,
2)Computer programmer
3) I stand up for what I believe in..
Gary didn't do anything that he didn't believe in. That is actually quite a brave, and selfless task. He went after information that he knew needed to be brought to light. Please don't let this be an example of someone following what they believe to be right that gets chastized, because it's not what the political or 'aristocratic', or whatever those people who seek to punish people who stand up for the truth. Gary is doing what he thought would be useful.
The US Government has lied to it's people about all sorts of stuff since the beginning of the DC. Or w/e that really is. Why keep allowing these people to lie to the masses so that they can get away with deceit.
Gary is not a criminal. He is a bold, strong, brave individual.
Let's not let him become some new lie. The man just wanted to know the truth. Period.
Thanks
Rob