Former Minister of State condemns UK's unfair extradition laws

A former Minister of State for Trade has released a statement condemning extradition laws to coincide with the launch of Liberty’s Extradition Watch campaign last night.

Baron Jones of Birmingham, former Trade Minister and Director of the Confederation of British Industry (CBI) said that the situation must change:

“If we as a nation are to avoid any more appalling situations where UK citizens are lifted…with little burden of proof. People are being extradited (by a judiciary rendered powerless by laws passed by this Government) to a situation which is unacceptable. This is not about guilt and innocence. This is about people being unfairly treated in practice before their trial “

Under current UK law an individual can extradited to another country without even basic evidence being shown in a local court. A YouGov poll, conducted on behalf of Liberty shows a lack of public awareness about extradition in the UK – 70% of those polled did not know about the UK’s extradition procedures.

The poll also revealed that 58% thought the law should be changed. Sabina Frediani, Campaigns Co-ordinator for Liberty, said:

“This poll shows the lack of support for summary extradition. Fast track extradition is justice denied – Extradition Watch, our new campaign, seeks to pressure Government to stop extradition without safeguards.”

At the launch of the campaign, which was chaired by Gillian Tett, speakers Edward Fitzgerald QC and Frank Symeou, father of Andrew Symeou, joined Liberty in criticising the UK’s current extradition arrangements.

In a moving speech Frank Symeou, whose son is currently fighting extradition to Greece on the basis of evidence described as ‘seriously flawed, contradictory and in places ludicrous’, told the audience that: ‘what is happening to Andrew and our family could happen to you…there are serious questions and concerns about the case against my son and it is totally unacceptable that a British court, CPS or even the police cannot examine the flawed evidence against him…..it seems nobody wants to listen’

Liberty believes

• that a person should not be extradited to stand trial in a foreign country without evidence being presented in a British court to prove there is a basic (prima facie) case against them
• If the crime is alleged to have occurred in whole or in part in the UK, then the person should not be extradited if a court here decides it is not in the interest of justice to extradite
• A person in the UK should not be extradited for something that is not a crime in the UK.
  
• British justice should not be circumvented.