Statewatch press release, 1 August 2003

NEW UK-US EXTRADITION TREATY

- removes or restricts key protections for defendants
- signed and adopted without any parliamentary scrutiny

see:  http://www.statewatch.org/news/2003/jul/25ukus.htm

Today Statewatch is publishing a 6,000 word analysis of the new UK-US
Treaty (which will replace the 1972 UK-US Treaty), together with a number of relevant cases and issues that raise serious concern about the new agreement (and those agreed on 25 June between the EU and US).

On 31 March, David Blunkett, UK Home Secretary, signed a new Extradition Treaty on behalf of the UK with his United States counterpart, Attorney General Tom Ashcroft, ostensibly bringing the US into line with procedures between European countries. The UK parliament was not consulted at all and the text was not public available until the end of May.

The UK-US Treaty has three main effects:

- (1) it removes the requirement on the US to provide prima facie evidence when requesting the extradition of people from the UK but maintains the requirement on the UK to satisfy the "probable cause" requirement in the US when seeking the extradition of US nationals;

- (2) it removes or restricts key protections currently open to suspects and defendants;
- (3) it implements the EU-US Treaty on extradition, signed in Washington on 25 June 2003, but far exceeds the provisions in this agreement.

The report analyses:

A. The new UK-US Treaty and its implications for peoples' rights and
accountability (which will replace the 1972 UK-US Treaty) and
B. Spells out, with detailed cases, ten areas of concern on judicial
cooperation with the USA

Ben Hayes of Statewatch comments:

"Under the new treaty, the allegations of the US government will be enough to secure the extradition of people from the UK. However, if the UK wants to extradite someone from the US, evidence to the standard of a "reasonable" demonstration of guilt will still be required.

No other EU countries would accept this US demand, either politically or constitutionally. Yet the UK government not only acquiesced, but did so taking advantage of arcane legislative powers to see the treaty signed and implemented without any parliamentary debate or scrutiny.

Guantanamo Bay, the failed extradition of Lofti Raissi and US contempt for the International Criminal Court make this decision to remove relevant UK safeguards all the more alarming"

1. The full report and documentation is on:
 http://www.statewatch.org/news/2003/jul/25ukus.htm

2. It is also also available to download in "pdf" format with live links to sources:  http://www.statewatch.org/news/2003/jul/analy18.pdf

For further information please send an e-mail to:  office@statewatch.org

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