From: Andrew Johnson
Date: 2006-06-07 00:14:27
Attachments : Dear All, As you may be aware, at a recent hearing, it was judged that Gary McKinnon should be extradited to the USA, where he might face 70 years in prison. This is a travesty and a great injustice. news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/… More information about Gary’s case can be found using these links: www.spy.org.uk/freeg… schmoontherun.blogsp… The main details of Garys case are described in these 2 interviews with Gary: www.checktheevidence… www.checktheevidence… Please use the information below to point this out to the UK home secretary and anyone else you think should listen. I have included the letter I sent. Home Secretary (Constituency Fax: 01236 748666) e-mail: reidj@parliament.uk Use this page to e-mail his local representatives: www.writetothem.com/… Contact Amnesty International (UK) and ask them to support Gary: iar@amnesty.org.uk Please do something if you haven’t already. Thanks Dear Mr Reid, I am writing with regard to the proposed extradition of British Citizen Gary McKinnon for offences related to computer mis-use (hacking) in the late 1990s and early 2000s. I must ask you to overrule Judge Nicholas Evanss decision of 10th May 2006 to allow extradition. There are a number of grounds on which the only sensible course of action should be judged: 1) As far as I am aware, the extradition treaty between the UK and the USA has not been ratified by the US Congress and therefore should not be binding (we are therefore not obliged to allow the extradition). 2) Gary has confessed to a crime and should be prosecuted on this basis in this country. It would seem that his prosecution has not been carried forward, so that the extradition treaty (void though it is) would seem to allow his extradition (i.e., if I interpret the treaty correctly, if a defendant has been prosecuted for a crime, he cannot be extradited for it). It is a complete mystery why the CPS has not moved forward with the prosecution and this in itself should be the subject of an investigation. 3) Gary was originally arrested in 2002 and it was said at the time he would face something like 6 months community service. Following a trip to the USA by Police, this suddenly became a much longer sentence. 4) Gary has already been strung along by the system for the last 4 years even though he has confessed to his crime. This should count already as a suspended sentence. 5) As far as I am aware, the prosecution have produced no tangible evidence of the damage he caused. 6) Gary has disclosed the methods he used to obtain access to the systems concerned. What he did was akin to walking around a neighbourhood, looking for open doors and windows (which he found) and then going in and having a look around inside. Of course, this can be viewed as a type of trespassing so why does this attract such a stiff sentence? 7) There are Human Rights laws to be considered here and as such, I have sent a copy of this letter to Amnesty International, whom I hope will offer some input into this matter. 8) He has clearly stated what his intentions were and it seems to me that there should be much stronger indications that Garys intent was malicious before extradition was found. From my own research (which has been ongoing for perhaps a period of 10 years), I know, through expert witness testimony, that what Gary says he found does indeed exist. (And it is this that should be the subject of a criminal prosecution, not Gary). So, when you have considered these 8 points, I hope that you will realise that allowing extradition would basically mean you are happy to: 1) See a punishment which does not fit the crime. 2) Disregard Human Rights. 3) Essentially break the law to allow extradition to take place. 4) Make a decision which is likely to make the Blair government unpopular based on the way it bows to significant US pressure on a case which, for some reason (lets take a wild guess), it regards as significant. Please make the correct decision for Garys sake, the sake of the law, national sovereignty and human rights. Regardless of what decision you make, however, the campaign for justice for Gary will continue of that, you, and the US authorities can be strongly assured. Yours Most Sincerely, Andrew Johnson
