Posts Tagged ‘extradition’
Theresa May Must Act On Gary McKinnon And Ian Tomlinson
After defence there can be no higher priority for any government than justice. The new government’s honeymoon period is over. The cases of Gary McKinnon and Ian Tomlinson need urgent attention from our new Home Secretary.
Gary McKinnon’s case raises profound issues. He is in danger of “extradition” to the US but any idea that this is some legitimate process is nonsense. He is actually in danger of illegal rendition or kidnapping which the previous Labour government seemed ready to sanction. Any alleged crime was committed on British soil so there isn’t even any question of “extradition”. If he is to be tried he must be tried where the alleged crime was committed.
There seems though to be no progress at all on the murder of Ian Tomlinson at the G20 protests. This is a scandal and injustice of the very highest order and those responsible for prevaricating and filibustering over bringing charges are criminals themselves.
Ian Tomlinson’s family waits helpless while the dilatory DPP, Keir Starmer, and the CPS quibble and procrastinate over facts that the whole country has seen revealed on its TV screens. Obviously they intend to delay long enough so that the case be consigned to history like the murder of Blair Peach by a police officer in 1979. It was only last month that the Metropolitan Police came clean on this, 30 years too late.
There is some nonsense excuse being peddled that there is a problem with obtaining expert medical evidence. This is a dreadful miscarriage of justice. These are issues for a jury to decide. Keir Starmer should be dismissed for gross misconduct and should consider himself lucky if he doesn’t go to jail for perverting the course of justice.
We have already seen the inexcuseable acquittal of Sergeant Delroy Smellie, the thug who assaulted Nicola Fisher at the G20 protests (see here). This must be one of the lowest points ever in the history of British justice. There can be no other description of this verdict and District Judge Daphne Wickham who made the decision than corrupt. She deserves to be tarred and feathered for what she has done.
What can be higher in priority on Theresa May’s todo list than these matters of great principle and injustice? She should put everything else aside. There can be no more excuses.
UK Ministers Surrender Mckinnon To US Kidnap
It’s said that when Gordon Brown offered Alan Johnson the Home Office he rejected it as a poisoned chalice. He’s probably right. It seems to be destroying his reputation just as it has so many others.
Nevertheless, the shameful and deeply treacherous conduct of this disgraced government towards Gary McKinnon cannot be excused. There is no greater duty on any government than to protect its citizens, particularly those who are vulnerable. There can be no basis in any system of justice for allowing a foreign power to abduct an accused person away from the scene of their alleged crime. This is not extradition. It is illegal rendition, as extraordinary as any. It is kidnapping.
Alan Johnson, Gordon Brown and the rest are kowtowing to big bully USA. British justice is in tatters as they offer up another sacrifice to America. Believe me, they’d do the same to any of us: you, me, your grandmother, your starving babies and our injured soldiers if it suited them. If they wanted to take Gary Mckinnon to Guantanamo Bay I don’t believe our government would have the courage to stop them.
I call for the entire cabinet to be indicted on charges of dereliction of duty. Will not even one of these excuses for men or women have the courage and decency to resign over this issue?
These people who call themselves our leaders are a disgrace to each and every one of us. They are cowardly and spineless charlatans who are dragging our great country through the mire of ignominy and shame. Gary Mckinnon is a victim of their cowardice. Nothing can excuse what they have already put him through, let alone what is to come.