Calls for changes to the US extradition treaty

[oldironside]

"The Government should renegotiate the UK's extradition treaty with the United States to ensure British citizens get the same protection as Americans, a report found.

US authorities should have to show enough evidence to establish probable cause before a Briton can be extradited, the Joint Committee on Human Rights (JCHR) said.

Judges should also have the power to refuse extradition requests if the alleged offence took place wholly or largely in the UK, the MPs and peers said."

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/politics/calls-for-changes-to-the-us-extradition-treaty-2300873.html

I have to admit to being a bit surprised that Brits don't already get the same protection as American citizens. One could almost say that, far from being the 51st state, we are actually a vassal state totally beholden to our masters in Washington ("Being a vassal most commonly implies providing military assistance to the dominant state when requested to do so" from Wikipedia).

[LeftishBrit]

1. It's pretty amazing that the UK agreed to this (well, it was Blair who did; so not surprising)

The Gary McKinnon case is pretty appalling.

[oldironside]

2. What can he have been thinking of?

[muriel_volestrangler]

3. Balir convinced Parliament to wave it through with little consideration

while the Americans took note of their constitution while the treaty was constructed, and built in some basic safeguards.

At the time, of course, that didn't stop some Irish Republican supporters on DU denouncing it as just an evil attempt to nab honest Irish-Americans who sent money back for 'sundry purposes': http://upload.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=104x1465966

[oldironside]

4. 'Sundry purposes'?

I take it that's a euphemism like 'enhanced interrogation', 'special treatment' (Sonderbehandlung), or 'police action'. It's amazing what you can hide behind bland words.

(edited by the author, who still can't spell in German - :eyes:)