Bin Ladens kompis ska deporteras
Storbritannien kan deportera Abu Qatada till Jordanien, fastslog brittisk rätt idag. Det internationella trycket på Jordanien bedömdes vara kraftfullt nog för att garantera att dess rättsväsende inte misshandlar mannen som kallats Bin Ladins högra hand i Europa.
Qatada kom till Storbritannien 1993, där han varken har permanent uppehållstillstånd eller medborgarskap. Han har aldrig dömts för något terroristbrott i Storbritannien - vilket han däremot har i sin frånvaro i Jordanien.
Qatada har naturligtvis påpekat att han riskerar tortyr i Jordanien, vilket Storbritanniens Special Immigration Appeals Commission (Siac) menade inte var någon reell risk i hans fall.
24dash.com:
(ps: uppmärksamma läsare kanske känner igen namnet Abu Qatada. Det kan bero på att han på håll kan kopplas till terroriststämplade svensken Mohamed Moumou. Läs mer i min text Terroranklagelserna punkt för punkt.)Qatada's legal team claimed in hearings last May that he would be in danger of torture or ill-treatment if he was deported to Jordan.
They also claimed the Government's case against him was based on evidence extracted by torture.
The appeal by Qatada tested the Government's use of so-called "memoranda of understanding" (MOUs) with foreign countries which aim to guarantee the safety of deported suspects.
Human rights lawyer Gareth Pierce said Qatada's legal team would be seeking leave to appeal because there were "issues of considerable importance here".
She said Qatada faces the prospect of trial by a military court using evidence obtained from torture if he is deported to Jordan.
She said: "We say it would be so grotesquely unreconcilable with the concept of justice that it would constitute, we say, a complete denial of our responsibilities - to deport on that basis with that known prospect."
The Siac judgment went on: "If he were to be tortured or ill-treated, there probably would be a considerable outcry in Jordan, regardless of any MOU. The likely inflaming of Palestinian and extremist or anti-Western feelings would be destabilising for the government.
"The Jordanian Government would be well aware of that potential risk, and, in its own interests would take steps to ensure that that did not happen."
It added that the Jordanian security service General Intelligence Directorate (GID) would also be aware of the risks of ill-treating Qatada.
The ruling said: "The instructions that the appellant should be treated properly, which can realistically be anticipated to be given by the Government and at the highest level, would suffice to avoid that risk in his case."
It added that the Jordanians could be expected to observe the MOU in a "transparent and conscientious" way.
