Not too long ago I was very critical about the US Extradition treaty which the United States belive somehow is fair despite the dubious nature of the treaty. Seems that someone in central government was listening. The government has announced that a review of the treaty is to take place.
Two thousand years ago, a man could walk from one end of the earth to the other, safe in the knowledge of three words: Civis romanus sum. (I am a citizen of Rome). British people should be equally protected by the process of due process and the justice system working to protect us against the powers of foreign nations.
Whilst it comes as great news that the treaty will be reviewed in regards to the fairness of the treaty, it will come as a disappointment to many that the panel will not be ready to begin their investigation until next summer. Alas we should remember that it is the UK Government and it wont do anything worth doing unless it can take a tremendous time to do it!
The treaty with the United States is not the only one which will be reviewed but it is one of the most fundamentally unjust treaties requiring little or no standards to justify an extradition.
References
The Guardian
