The Muslim Council of Britain is deeply concerned about the wider ramifications of the impending extradition of a UK national, Babar Ahmad, to the United States following the decision by the House of Lords.

"This is a very sad day for all those who value fairness and justice. It is bizarre that despite our government's stand on capital punishment, the extradition of Babar Ahmed is being approved to the US where capital punishment is permissible and used. We hope that the European Court will take note of this and protect the absolute rights of Babar Ahmed under Article 2 and 3 of the ECHR. It is unacceptable that under the Extradition Treaty 2003 there is no longer any need for the US government to prove to a UK court or even to the Home Secretary that there is a prima facie case against a British citizen. We are very disappointed that the Home Secretary agreed to this extradition request and we call on him to renegotiate the Extradition Treaty 2003 so that it better protects our citizens – whether Muslims or non-Muslims - from this type of manifest injustice. If our government had any evidence of wrongdoing on the part of Babar Ahmad then he should be charged in this country and put on trial here. As a result of this case, we fear that increasing numbers of British Muslims will no longer trust the UK government to protect their basic human rights," said Dr Muhammad Abdul Bari, Secretary-General of the Muslim Council of Britain.
[ENDS]