UK Judge OKs deportation of Algerians to torture. Ignores "naive" jury

international | rights, freedoms and repression | other press Friday August 25, 2006 14:36 by R. Isible

Guardian report on fake "ricin terror plot"

An Algerian man, cleared by an Old Bailey jury in the "ricin terror plot", may be sent back to Algeria where he will face the strong possibility of being tortured by the state security forces who have a long track record of this practice.

Human rights groups Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch have condemned the decision by "Special Immigration Judges". The "independent watchdog", Lord Carlisle, has described AI as "thoroughly naive" and in response three of the jurors from the Old Bailey trial have issued a statement saying that they were shocked at the "unfair and unjust sequence of events".

So, this is another instance of a jury of ordinary people not believing the government's terror claims and the government and the judiciary going ahead and collaborating with human rights violations.

The decision is seen as an important indication that Tony Blair's declared new policy of forcing through deportations to countries where torture is known to occur is being backed by the judiciary. None of the supposed safeguards of a "memo of understanding" have been obtained by the UK government or the judges that made this decision.