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Guardian: Blunkett has stripped us of protection.
This looks to me like a disaster. As two Britains are apparently to be tried in Guantanamo, extradition to the US seems less like being moved to (another?) strong judicial system and more like being given over to a state which may or may not afford you the privileges granted to you by Human Rights law.
Quote from Isabel Hilton's article:
The most notorious request that the UK dealt with in the aftermath of September 11 was for the Algerian pilot Lotfi Raissi, who was detained for five months in Belmarsh high security prison after the US sought his extradition on suspicion of involvement in the September 11 attacks. He was eventually released when a British judge ruled that there was no evidence against him. Under Mr Blunkett's new treaty, Mr Raissi would be incarcerated in the United States. In fact, under the new treaty - which is retrospective - he still might be, if the US were to try again.
And the evidence against him? According to Amnesty International: "The US authorities' reasons for seeking Lotfi Raissi's extradition included the fact that his identity and profession fit a certain profile: an Algerian man and a Muslim, a pilot and a flight instructor in the USA." So what if he's not guilty. He just has to look the part.
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