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MPs to urge Johnson to block Gary McKinnon extradition
09.09.09
Home Secretary Alan Johnson will today face calls from three senior MPs not to extradite computer hacker Gary McKinnon.
Former Labour minister Michael Meacher, ex-shadow home secretary David Davis and Liberal Democrat home affairs spokesman Chris Huhne will meet Mr Johnson at the Home Office.
Mr McKinnon, aged 43 from north London, suffers from Asperger's Syndrome and is wanted for trial in the US on charges of hacking into the country's military networks.
But campaigners believe his only crime is being a "UFO eccentric" who searched for evidence of extra-terrestrials.
In July, Mr McKinnon failed in his High Court bid to avoid extradition.
Mr Meacher, who sought the meeting, said: "Not only has the Home Secretary got the power but he has the duty to intervene in an extradition case, even after the court process has ended, if there is a real risk of a human rights breach should extradition proceed.
"Gary's medical condition is such that medical experts have concluded there is a grave risk to Mr McKinnon's health if he is extradited to the US.
"There is no reason why he cannot face charges in the UK for an act which took place in the UK."
Human rights campaign group Liberty said they hoped the MPs would bring about a "change of heart" from Mr Johnson.
Liberty spokeswoman Sabina Frediani said: "The British public are behind the idea that extradition arrangements must incorporate basic safeguards before someone is shipped off across the world, away from friends, family and supporters."
Reader views (13)
Why not? Is it because comments are reserved for locals?
- Donnie L. Gannon, Gahanna Ohio USA
We are not savages.
- Donnie L. Gannon, Gahanna Ohio USA
We have already upset the Yanks by releasing the so called 'Lockerbie Bomber' so why shouldn't we do it again by not complying with the US demand to extradite Gary. It's not as if the Americans would fall over themselves to help us when we wanted some help with info on their secret list. It took two attempts to get crucial info from the US to convict the 'Liquid'Bombers earlier this week!
- John, Leighton Buzzard, Beds
He did the crime, he faces the music!
- Vince, London, West London
Nah, never going to happen this man has the wrong name, wrong colour, wrong religion and race. Our ministers protect anyone non english, instead of standing up for US, they stand up for US (United States).
- Sandra, ealing, london
Takes an ignorant narrow-minded racist bigot to make any normal news story a race issue, doesn't it Sandra?
- Nowan King, London
Argh, why does everyone call him a hacker? In order to be a hacker he would have to have actually cracked passwords, etc, what he actually did was read the manual and use the default passwords that had never been changed. If anyone should be up on criminal charges it's the systems administrator that left the servers unprotected in the first place.
- Bob, Cheam
Much has been made of Gary McKinnon´s Asperger's Syndrome, but medical experts have stated the effects are minimal in his case. The Home Secretary does not have the power to intervene, unless he wants to cause a major diplomatic incident with US. The UK signed up to these extradition laws, so now the UK is required to honour them. The UK is already in hot water over the release of the Lockerbie bomber, I don´t think the Home Secretary will want to risk another diplomatic blunder on such an unworthy case as Gary McKinnon. It´s no defence to say he was just looking for UFOs or that the passwords of the US computers were left on default. He wouldn´t know that if he hadn´t hacked them in the first place, would he? Mr McKinnon has done the crime, he must be prepared to face the consequences.
- Graham Rodhouse, Helmond, Netherlands
Nah, never going to happen this man has the wrong name, wrong colour, wrong religion and race. Our ministers protect anyone non english, instead of standing up for US, they stand up for US (United States).
- Sandra, ealing, london
why is everybody leaping to his defence. he done the crime so do the time. if its in America so what.
Goodbye.
- Jonny, London
Perfectly summed up by Kev, London-UK.
With Labour feeling the heat from the US over the release of the Lockerbie bomber, they'll pander to this and release a statement saying he'll get a fair trial and his human-rights will not be violated.
Yet return a known terror-threat or criminal to his country of origin, and every PC leftie jumps on the human rights bandwagon.
- Scott, London
Alan Johnson has the chance to make his mark as Home Secretary with this issue by blocking the extradition of gary McKinnon.
It is clear that he has a medical condition and is a UFO-obsessed individual, not a terrorist or a threat to the security of the US or the USA.
If the Home Secretary is unable to protect a vulnerable citizen of the UK from a disproportionate threat to his liberty by a foreign legal system then it is up to the voters to make their displeasure clear.
This Labour administration denied justice to the victims, friends and relatives of the Lockerbie disaster, it would be another tragedy if they were to fail their citizens again.
- Manny Goldstein, London, England
How right minded of some MPS who are actually trying to fight for the rights of a British born citizen who is not and never has been a threat to these Isles,as opposed to the Government who will only fight for the rights of immigrant terrorists who are a threat to these isles.I really cant wait for election day,when we can get ride of the real threat to the British people.
- Kev, London-UK
Ain't going to happen -This Liebour Government is far to limp-wristed to stand up for it's own citizens
- Steve, london
