Extradition Watch is Liberty's campaign for fairer extradition laws.
We have campaigned for years against "fast-track" and unfair extradition. Extradition should never be used without the necessary safeguards to ensure it is fair and proportionate, and should always respect British traditions of justice.
The Coalition Government has pledged to review the operation of the Extradition Act and the US/UK extradition treaty. We will be urging them to review many other extradition arrangements and incorporate the following safeguards:
- A British person should not be extradited to another country for actions that are not criminal in the UK.
- A basic case should be made to a British court before someone can be sent abroad to face trial in another country.
- If a significant part of the conduct that led to the alleged crime took place in the UK, then a British court should be able to decide if it is in the interests of justice to extradite.
Extradition cases in the news
In 2006 amendments were made to the Extradition Act that would allow a UK court to bar extradition (if appropriate) on the grounds that the alleged conduct had taken place in the UK. Yet these amendments have never been brought into force. If they had been, it would have been possible for a UK judge to halt the extradition of
Gary McKinnon,
Christopher Tappin and others.
There is nothing to prevent the Government from activating this amendment and changing the law to help protect future Garys.
Please email your MP today 1. Ask them to put pressure on the Government to schedule a motion to debate the ‘forum amendment’. Find out more about the amendment
here.
2. Ask them to encourage the Government to implement our suggested safeguards to UK extradition law.
