Two British Muslims lose appeal against extradition to US
Regional-USA, Politics, 12/2/2006

Two British Muslims Thursday lost separate appeals against being sent to the US to face terrorist charges under the country's recent Extradition Treaty, which require no prima facie evidence.

At the High Court in London, Lord Justice Laws said the legal team representing Haroon Aswat and Babar Ahmad had not proved to a required standard their concerns that the US might violate undertakings given to the UK that the men would be fairly treated.

Lawyer for both men, Edward Fitzgerald argued that there was "a real risk of fundamental injustice" that their basic human rights will be abuse, despite the assurances from US authorities.

The danger was that they could be kept indefinitely at Guantanamo Bay, taken to a third country for questioning, or tried and sentenced by a military tribunal as enemy combatants, Fitzgerald warned.

Without any requirement of prima facie evidence, Ahmad is accused of running websites inciting murder, urging holy war and raising money for the Taleban, while Aswat faces charges of plotting to set up a US camp to train fighters for Afghanistan.

Responding to the decision, the Islamic Human Rights Commission (IHRC) warned that the extradition ruling could legitimize the torture of British citizens.

"Without any evidence being produced, innocent British citizens will be subjected to an American criminal justice system which has done away with due process and legitimized torture in its 'war on terror'," said IHRC chair Massoud Shadjareh.

Shadjareh also said he found it puzzling why evidence against the men, if it does exist, has not been passed on to British authorities in order to charge them in Britain.

"Since Britain has some of the comprehensive terrorism laws in the world, if there is any evidence against these men, they should be charged and tried in a British court," he said.

In June, a four month study of the handling of the highly publicized Ahmad case and Britain's 'lopsided' extradition arrangements with the US found that there was a real risk it had succeeded in "radicalizing a new generation of British Muslims." "The fury, bitterness and ominous threats heaped on the British Government and western establishments leave no doubt that British Muslims are being pushed towards extremism by the Government's failure to listen," warned the study.

The British government has also come under widespread pressure over the non-reciprocal nature of its controversial extradition treaty, which has yet to be ratified by the US congress after more than two years.

Previous Stories:
  US Guantanamo 'unacceptable', warns Beckett   (10/12/2006)
  US anti-terrorist guidelines for charities   (10/3/2006)
  The politics of terrorism is very bad politics   (6/2/2003)

Please add a link on your webiste pointing to ArabicNews.com and bookmark ArabicNews.com & subscribe to our daily email news bulletin.

Search