10 September 2007
We received a petition asking:
"We the undersigned petition the Prime Minister to stop the extradition of British citizen Babar Ahmad to the US and put him on trial in the UK."
Details of Petition:
"Babar Ahmad is a British citizen who has been cleared by British authorities of any wrongdoing. The US has requested his extradition to face charges related to fundraising for Chechen and Taliban rebels. The offences are alleged to have occurred on UK soil. It is only proper that Babar stands trial in the UK. Were he to be extradited, he faces a serious risk of human rights abuses and torture."
Read the Government’s response
The US authorities have sought Babar Ahmad’s extradition on terrorist related offences. The case is governed by the provisions of the Extradition Act 2003. The case has been considered by the courts and by the Home Secretary. The current position is that Babar Ahmad has exhausted all of the available domestic avenues for contesting the US request for his extradition.
However, he has since made a further application to the European Court of Human Rights. That remains under consideration and, pending the outcome, no further steps towards surrender are being taken. In these circumstances, the case is still before the courts and it would not be right to comment further.