MPs urge McKinnon extradition rethink

 

Gallery

By Stuart Turton

Posted on 13 Nov 2009 at 09:05

The Home Affairs Select Committee has urged the UK Government to halt the extradition of Gary McKinnon.

McKinnon is facing extradition to the US on 97 counts of hacking NASA and military networks. However, his legal team have argued that his Asperger's syndrome would make him a "suicide risk" should the extradition go ahead.

It appears the Home Affairs Select Committee agrees.

"Because of Mr McKinnon's precarious state of mental health, the Committee is of the view that he should not be extradited to the USA and that you should exercise your discretion in this case," Keith Vaz, chairman of the committee, wrote to the Home Secretary Alan Johnson.

Johnson has informed the committee that he's examining medical reports on McKinnon's condition to determine if extraditing the hacker would constitute a breach of his human rights.

If it does, the extradition can be blocked, however, the Home Secretary has previously argued that beyond this his hands are tied by the controversial Extradition Act 2003 between the US and UK.

The treaty allows US authorities to demand a Briton's extradition without having to provide evidence. It also came under the Committee's scrutiny and was blasted for its "serious lack of equality", with Vaz recommending that the Home Secretary conduct a ""comprehensive review".

The Home Office swiftly rejected the call. "As the home secretary told the Home Affairs Select Committee, the evidence that must be provided for a US extradition request to proceed in the UK is in practice the same as for a UK request to proceed in the US.

The suggestion that the operation of the Extradition Act needs to be reviewed comprehensively is unnecessary. Unless the evidence shows that extradition would breach the European Convention on Human Rights it would be unlawful to refuse extradition," it stated.