UK AND USA EXTRADITION AGREEMENT MUST BE EQUAL - HOWARTH (Cambridge Liberal Democrats)

Cambridge Liberal Democrats <camlibdems@gmail.com>

UK AND USA EXTRADITION AGREEMENT MUST BE EQUAL - HOWARTH

December 4, 2007 12:27 PM

David Howarth MP

NEWS RELEASE

Embargo: Immediate

The Liberal Democrats Shadow Solicitor General, the Cambridge MP, David Howarth, has written to the Foreign Secretary, the Rt Hon David Miliband MP, asking him to look again at the extradition agreement between the United Kingdom and the USA.

Mr Howarth expressed his concern about reports that lawyers representing the US government in legal proceedings in London have stated that the USA reserves the right to ignore extradition procedures and simply kidnap British citizens to bring them to trial in US courts.

Mr Howarth asks Mr Miliband: "I am writing to urge you to look again at the extradition agreement between the United Kingdom and the USA in the light of this assertion. Many believed that the present treaty was unequal when it was signed, but very few would have imagined that the US was reserving to itself the right to ignore its procedures and to condone the use of unilateral physical force instead."

He goes on to point out that: "The courts in this country have made very clear that it is an abuse of judicial process to bring defendants before the court by illegal means."

Mr Howarth wrote his letter after reading the Sunday Times article entitled: 'US says it has the right to kidnap British Ciitizens.'

He will be requesting a meeting with the Foreign Secretary to discuss the issue.