Extradition is defined as the delivering up of accused persons by one government to another.

British residents can be removed under a “fast-track” extradition system to EU and certain other countries based on trust that the country seeking extradition has a fair legal system. This means that a British court never gets to consider whether there is evidence to justify the charge.

The Extradition Act 2003 has eroded traditional protections in British law against summary and unfair extradition. Extradition law should have safeguards that ensure extradition always serves the interests of justice, that the complaint against the accused is genuine and backed up by evidence.

Liberty believes:

• - 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.
  
  Fast-track extradition is justice denied.
  
  Case studies: read about individual cases in the extradition system, and send a message of support to Gary McKinnon.

Following the 2010 General Election the new Conservative - Liberal Democrat Coalition Government pledged to review the operation of the Extradition Act and the US/UK extradition treaty.

We will be urging the new Government to incorporate the safeguards above as part of their review.

Read Liberty's full Analysis of the Coalition Programme for Government (PDF)