Senin, 30 April 2012

Revealed, the double standards of US over Mckinnon extradition as

Revealed, the double standards of US over Mckinnon extradition as

By James Slack

PUBLISHED: 20:09 EST, 30 April 2012 | UPDATED: 20:27 EST, 30 April 2012

Not a single U.S. citizen has been extradited to Britain for a crime committed on their home soil, it was revealed last night.

MPs said it was proof of ‘double standards’ by the American government in the case of Asperger’s sufferer Gary McKinnon.

Mr McKinnon, who is supported by the Mail’s Affront to British Justice campaign, hacked into U.S. military computers from the bedroom of his North London flat while looking for evidence of ‘little green men’.

GARY McKINNON AND HIS MUM JANIS SHARP, Richard O'Dwyer the 23 year old Media and Animation student at Sheffield Hallam University who faces extradition to the USA pictured on his graduation with a foundation degree

Injustice: Gary McKinnon, left, and student Richard O'Dwyer, right, face extradition to the U.S., while not a single American citizen has been brought before UK courts for alleged crimes committed on home soil

There are at least two other comparable current cases involving UK citizens.

The lack of parallel cases of U.S. citizens being extradited to Britain emerged in a Home Office response to a Freedom of Information request.

Officials revealed that, between January 2004 and March 30, 2012, there have been seven known extraditions of U.S. citizens to the UK.

None of these has been identified as concerning crimes committed while the person was in the US.

MPs want a so-called forum bar to be introduced in this country, which would stop a Briton being extradited for a crime which took place in the UK.

Last night, Gary’s mother Janis Sharp said: ‘No U.S. citizens have been extradited to the UK for any crime committed while the accused was on U.S. soil. So why does the US target British citizens when they themselves have “forum”?’

MPs said the revelations made the case for reforming our biased extradition laws â€" currently the subject of a Government review â€" even stronger.

Dominic Raab MP said: 'This is more damning evidence of the lopsided effect of our extradition arrangements with the U.S.'

Dominic Raab MP said: 'This is more damning evidence of the lopsided effect of our extradition arrangements with the U.S.'

Tory MP Dominic Raab, who has led calls to reform the UK/US Extradition Act, said: ‘This is more damning evidence of the lopsided effect of our extradition arrangements with the U.S.

‘No American has ever been extradited for alleged offences committed on U.S. soil. It smacks of double standards, and strengthens the case for extradition reform.’

Last month the home affairs select committee said the UK/US extradition treaty was ‘unbalanced’ and must be urgently reformed.

They called for suspects to be tried in the country where their crimes were allegedly committed unless there are exceptional reasons not to do so.

The MPs said that extradition arrangements with the U.S. are ‘threatened by loss of public confidence in the UK’ and â€" unless action is taken â€" ‘there is a risk that, with time, that lack of confidence will translate into wider disaffection’.

The MPs said they believed it was ‘easier to extradite a Brit ish citizen to the USA than vice versa’.

Under the Extradition Act, passed by Labour in 2003, U.S. citizens have the right to a court hearing to examine the evidence against them before they can be extradited to the UK.

However, Britons wanted by the U.S. do not get the same protection. To extradite a UK citizen, the U.S. needs only to outline the alleged offence, the punishment specified by statute and provide an accurate description of the suspect sought.

Mr McKinnon’s case is not the only example.

One sided: Chris Tappin, pictured wife his Elaine before being extradited to the US on over allegations of arms-dealing, is another Briton to being caught out by the lopsided treaty

One sided: Chris Tappin, pictured wife his Elaine before being extradited to the US on over allegations of arms-dealing, is another Briton to being caught out by the lopsided treaty

Chris Tappin, of Orpington, South East London, was extradited to the U.S. on February 24 over allegations of arms-dealing. It has been claimed he conspired to sell batteries for use in Iranian missiles.

Student Richard O’Dwyer, of Chesterfield, is also fighting extradition on copyright infringement charges over a website he ran from the UK.

His mother Julia O’Dwyer said: ‘This clearly demonstrates yet again the imbalance of the  current extradition treaty with the U.S.

‘Either the UK is not exerting its jurisdiction on the U.S. to seek to extradite any U.S. citizens for crimes on computers or over the internet, or the U.S. is protecting its own citizens accused of such crimes better than the UK protects its citizens.’

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