Liberty seeks to intervene in Babar Ahmad extradition

Human Rights organisation Liberty is seeking to intervene in the High Court in proceedings against the Government and Director for Public Prosecutions for not allowing Babar Ahmad (accused of setting up terrorist fundraising websites and detained for eight years without charge) to be prosecuted in the UK.

The authorities will currently neither prosecute nor allow the private prosecution attempted by businessman Karl Watkin. Instead they are facilitating extradition to the US.

Liberty has written to the Court and other parties in the case seeking to intervene, having long been concerned with the lack of safeguards in the UK’s arrangements under the Extradition Act 2003. Its position is that if all or a substantial part of the alleged criminal conduct took place in the UK, a person should face trial here where it is in the interests of justice that they should do so.

Emma Norton, solicitor for Liberty, said:

“The alleged offences are extremely serious and when people in Britain are accused of having committed crimes in this country, they should be tried here. Outsourcing justice under our lax extradition laws undermines public trust in British law enforcement.”