Britain allows radical cleric’s deportation

LONDON – A radical Islamic cleric suspected of close links to al Qaeda may be deported to Jordan despite the likelihood he would face a flawed trial there, a British court ruled on Monday.

The case of Abu Qatada, a Jordanian national who came to Britain in 1993, is a key test of British efforts to deport people to countries accused of torture by securing special agreements that deportees will not be ill treated. Dismissing his appeal against deportation, the Special Immigration Appeals Commission ruled that while he would likely be interrogated on his return by Jordanian security and the US Central Intelligence Agency, the cleric would benefit from intense local and international media scrutiny.”The Jordanians and the US would each be careful to ensure that the US did not overstep the mark in the way it carried out its interrogation,” its written judgment said.”We take the view that all the relevant Jordanian authorities would be scrupulous to observe the law, under the spotlight.”The court said Jordan was “not a functioning democracy”, although it did have a degree of press freedom and freedom of assembly for government critics.It said Abu Qatada, already twice convicted in absentia in Jordan of involvement in terrorist plots, was likely to be retried by a special court headed by military officers.He would face evidence his lawyers say was obtained from witnesses under torture and which was used in the earlier cases, the court said.But conviction was not a foregone conclusion.While there would probably be breaches of the right to a fair hearing, the court said “those breaches would fall short of a complete denial of a fair trial”.The charges do not carry the death penalty.No comment was available from the Jordanian embassy press section or the ambassador’s office.Abu Qatada’s lawyer Gareth Peirce said her client, who is in jail awaiting a final ruling, would appeal.”This is sending him to a flagrant denial of justice,” she said.Britain welcomed the court ruling as vindication of special agreements it has signed with countries such as Jordan containing guarantees that deportees will be well treated.The accords are meant to circumvent European human rights legislation which forbids member states from deporting people to countries where they could be tortured.Nampa-ReutersDismissing his appeal against deportation, the Special Immigration Appeals Commission ruled that while he would likely be interrogated on his return by Jordanian security and the US Central Intelligence Agency, the cleric would benefit from intense local and international media scrutiny.”The Jordanians and the US would each be careful to ensure that the US did not overstep the mark in the way it carried out its interrogation,” its written judgment said.”We take the view that all the relevant Jordanian authorities would be scrupulous to observe the law, under the spotlight.”The court said Jordan was “not a functioning democracy”, although it did have a degree of press freedom and freedom of assembly for government critics.It said Abu Qatada, already twice convicted in absentia in Jordan of involvement in terrorist plots, was likely to be retried by a special court headed by military officers.He would face evidence his lawyers say was obtained from witnesses under torture and which was used in the earlier cases, the court said.But conviction was not a foregone conclusion.While there would probably be breaches of the right to a fair hearing, the court said “those breaches would fall short of a complete denial of a fair trial”.The charges do not carry the death penalty.No comment was available from the Jordanian embassy press section or the ambassador’s office.Abu Qatada’s lawyer Gareth Peirce said her client, who is in jail awaiting a final ruling, would appeal.”This is sending him to a flagrant denial of justice,” she said.Britain welcomed the court ruling as vindication of special agreements it has signed with countries such as Jordan containing guarantees that deportees will be well treated.The accords are meant to circumvent European human rights legislation which forbids member states from deporting people to countries where they could be tortured.Nampa-Reuters