Latest on the Babar Ahmad campaign
2010-09-28 Babar Ahmad extradition lobby pack
2010-09-22 Cowardly police leave by the back door
2010-08-10 Visiting Babar Ahmad: A reminder for Ramadan
2010-08-05 Babar Ahmad: A Briton Betrayed
2010-07-08 The Dickensian world of extradition
2008-05-07 Interview with Babar Ahmad
Background
Babar Ahmad is a 35 year old British Muslim and the longest detained-without-charge British detainee held as part of the global ‘war on terror’.
Babar Ahmad was born in London in May 1974, and, until his imprisonment in 2004, lived in Tooting, South West London. His parents migrated to the UK from Pakistan in the early 1960’s. His father is a retired civil servant and his mother a retired Science teacher.
He went to a reputable public school where he won academic prizes and obtained outstanding results at both GCSE and A-Level. He then went to university and obtained a Master’s degree in Engineering from the University of London. Before his imprisonment in August 2004, he was working in the IT department at Imperial College London.
He is well-known locally in Tooting as a ‘caring and helpful’ member of the community through his years of youth work.
Arrest and Assault
On 2 December 2003 Babar was arrested at his London home under anti-terror legislation by the Metropolitan Police’s Territorial Support Group. By the time he reached the police station Babar had sustained at least 73 forensically recorded injuries, including bleeding in his ears and urine. His home and other locations were raided and computers and other evidence seized.
Six days later, on 8 December, he was released without charge.
Babar then filed a formal complaint that he had been subjected to horrific physical, sexual and religious abuse by the arresting police officers. An Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC) supervised investigation later dismissed his complaint and even “commended” one of these officers for his “great bravery” in arresting him.
On 18 March 2009 the Metropolitan Police finally admitted in the Royal Courts of Justice in London that they did indeed carry out the Islamophobic and brutal assault on Babar Ahmad in December 2003. Moreover, they paid Babar Ahmad £60,000 compensation for damages. However, the Metropolitan Police have still offered no apology for the actions of their officers.
In August 2009 the Director of Public Prosecutions, Keir Starmer, made the decision to prosecute 4 of the 5 officers involved in Babar’s arrest – PC Mark Jones, PC James-Bowen, PC Cowley and PC Donoghue.
Extradition Request and Arrest
On 5 August 2004 Babar was re-arrested in London and taken to prison pursuant to an extradition request from the US under the controversial, no-evidence-required, Extradition Act 2003.
All of the materials (computer hard drives, records etc) cited by the US indictment, were originally taken from Babar by the Met in December 2003, on which the CPS found no basis to bring charges.
The US claimed jurisdiction because it is alleged thatone of the several dozen computer servers on which the websites were hosted, was located in Connecticut (US), for a period of about 18 months from early 2000.
Allegations
The US has alleged that in the 1990s Babar was a supporter of “terrorism”. It is alleged that he tried to solicit support for “acts of terrorism” for resistance fighters in Chechnya and Afghanistan using a website based on US internet servers – no evidence of guilt was required.
It is a matter of plain fact that the allegations contained in the US charges could easily be dealt with under UK terrorism laws if there were any basis to them.
Babar denies any involvement in terrorism.
Detention
Babar was remanded in custody in August 2004 and has been in a series of Category A prisons across the UK ever since, for over six years now, pending resolution of his extradition case without having been charged in the UK
During this time he has been moved numerous times from prison to prison from HMP Woodhill to Belmarsh and back again; to Manchester to Long Lartin and back again. In November and December of 2006, whilst detained in Woodhill and Manchester, Babar was even placed into the segregation punishment unit without any reason.
Babar is currently detained at HMP Manchester after being transferred from HMP Long Lartin in October 2010.
Extradition status
The first judge to examine the case against Babar, Senior District Judge Timothy Workman (who is the UK’s most senior extradition judge), ruled on the 17th May 2005: “This is a difficult and troubling case. The defendant is a British citizen who is alleged to have committed offences which, if the evidence were available, could be prosecuted in this country.” Judge Workman again raised these concerns about Babar Ahmad’s case whilst testifying before the Parliamentary Home Affairs Select Committee on 28th November 2005. What Judge Workman did not know then, but has since become apparent is that all the ‘evidence’ against Babar was actually seized in the UK and sent to the US, following a controversial raid for which four police officers are to be prosecuted.
The ruling was given that Babar Ahmad should be extradited and the case was passed over to the then Home Secretary Charles Clarke who ordered the extradition on 15 November 2005.
Ever since, Babar has been fighting the decision.
On 28 November 2005, a Parliamentary committee voiced concerns about Babar’s case as it could be prosecuted in the UK. Later, in an emergency debate on UK-US extradition at the House of Commons on 12 July 2006, many Members of Parliaments made mention of his case.
After a series of court rulings going against him Babar Ahmad’s extradition was halted by a last minute intervention on 10 June 2007. The European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg (ECtHR) froze the extradition while it considered the case.
On 8 July 2010 the ECtHR ruled that likely sentences of up to 50 years imprisonment for Babar Ahmad, Haroon Rashid Aswat, Syed Talha Ahsan and Abu Hamza could violate Convention rights; and it stated that more time was needed to consider whether the condition at the “supermax” ADX Florence prison are inhumane – each inmate detained there dwells in solitary confinement.
This is his final appeal against the extradition and the Court is due to decide on it shortly. Until then the extradition has been halted, although Home Secretary Theresa May has said that he must remain in custody until a final ruling is made in 2011.
Babar’s family, friends and campaigners have mounted a high profile campaign for his release. He has also recently appeared in the news when it was revealed that the police had bugged his prison visits with his MP, Sadiq Khan (Labour-Tooting).
If extradited he faces the rest of his natural life in solitary confinement in a maximum security US ‘Supermax’ prison.
Write to Babar
You can write to Babar to express support for him at:
Babar Ahmad A9385AG
HMP Long Lartin
South Littleton
Evesham
Worcestershire
WR11 8TZ
Evesham
Worcestershire
WR11 8TZ
RSS Feed
Please wait...
