This article is from the source 'guardian' and was first published or seen on . It last changed over 40 days ago and won't be checked again for changes.
You can find the current article at its original source at http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2013/jul/08/sense-proportion-abu-qatada
The article has changed 2 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.
Previous version
1
Next version
| Version 0 | Version 1 |
|---|---|
| A sense of proportion over Abu Qatada | A sense of proportion over Abu Qatada |
| (2 months later) | |
| The "most dangerous man in the world" who allegedly conspired to carry out terrorist bombings, among other criminal activities, could not, apparently, be tried and convicted in a British court. So the government is vowing to change the human rights laws to make such deportations easier (As Abu Qatada leaves, May vows to change law, 8 July) Surely if such a dangerous criminal cannot be successfully prosecuted under our present, very comprehensive laws, it is they that need changing, not human rights legislation? I find it frightening, as Victoria Brittain points out (Comment, 8 July), that hysteria is whipped up, massive amounts of money and time is wasted on one man. John Green London | The "most dangerous man in the world" who allegedly conspired to carry out terrorist bombings, among other criminal activities, could not, apparently, be tried and convicted in a British court. So the government is vowing to change the human rights laws to make such deportations easier (As Abu Qatada leaves, May vows to change law, 8 July) Surely if such a dangerous criminal cannot be successfully prosecuted under our present, very comprehensive laws, it is they that need changing, not human rights legislation? I find it frightening, as Victoria Brittain points out (Comment, 8 July), that hysteria is whipped up, massive amounts of money and time is wasted on one man. John Green London |
| • So "May reaps the rewards for getting her man" (8 July). But she is still set on leaving the European convention on human rights, because of the time it has taken to achieve this triumph. It has taken so long because successive home secretaries did not take seriously the commitment to human rights and, in particular, the right to the presumption of innocence and the right to a fair trial, even though these are also traditional British rights. Had any of them done so, they would have recognised that it would be wrong to deport Abu Qatada, who had not been convicted of any offence in the UK, to Jordan, where he had been convicted in his absence on the basis of evidence obtained under torture, without first obtaining bankable assurances from Jordan that, in a new trial, evidence obtained under torture would not be used. Had they done so, then they would have started the matter in the way in Mrs May eventually ended it, and no appeal to the European court of human rights or the UK courts would have succeeded. David Roberts Tollesbury, Essex | • So "May reaps the rewards for getting her man" (8 July). But she is still set on leaving the European convention on human rights, because of the time it has taken to achieve this triumph. It has taken so long because successive home secretaries did not take seriously the commitment to human rights and, in particular, the right to the presumption of innocence and the right to a fair trial, even though these are also traditional British rights. Had any of them done so, they would have recognised that it would be wrong to deport Abu Qatada, who had not been convicted of any offence in the UK, to Jordan, where he had been convicted in his absence on the basis of evidence obtained under torture, without first obtaining bankable assurances from Jordan that, in a new trial, evidence obtained under torture would not be used. Had they done so, then they would have started the matter in the way in Mrs May eventually ended it, and no appeal to the European court of human rights or the UK courts would have succeeded. David Roberts Tollesbury, Essex |
| • Sorry to spoil the party, but there has been no deportation. The man left voluntarily following an inter-state treaty. Colin J Yarnley Southwell, Nottinghamshire | • Sorry to spoil the party, but there has been no deportation. The man left voluntarily following an inter-state treaty. Colin J Yarnley Southwell, Nottinghamshire |
| Our editors' picks for the day's top news and commentary delivered to your inbox each morning. | Our editors' picks for the day's top news and commentary delivered to your inbox each morning. |
Previous version
1
Next version