European judges halt cleric Hamzas extradition to America
August 7th, 2008 - 3:49 pm ICT by ANI London, Aug.7 (ANI): European judges have halted Abu Hamzas extradition to the United States on terror charges after the hook-handed cleric claimed it would breach his human rights.
Hamza, 51, serving a seven-year sentence for stirring up racial hatred and inciting followers to murder non-believers, faces 11 terror charges in America, reports The Sun.
US prosecutors have also accused him of attempting to set up a terrorist training camp in Bly, Oregon, in 1999, but nine judges of the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg yesterday ruled to put his extradition on hold until they are able to consider the case.
Hamza argues that if he were extradited he would face treatment in breach of the European Convention of Human Rights, which prevents torture and inhuman and degrading conditions.
In particular, he says he risks a life sentence without parole and might be held in a so-called supermax detention facility.
The new court battle will add 50,000 pounds to the estimated 3.5 million pounds Hamza and his family have cost taxpayers in benefits since arriving in the UK nearly 30 years ago.
The Egyptian-born cleric is currently lodged in Londons maximum security Belmarsh jail, and has already fought his case against extradition through the British courts and lost.
The nine European judges are Giovanni Bonnell, 72, from Malta, David Bjorgvinsson, 52, of Iceland, Paivi Hirvela, 53, of Finland, Nebojsa Vucinic, 55, of Montenegro, Mihai Poalelungi, 45, of Moldavia, Jan ikuta, 47, of Slovakia, Ljiljana Mijovic, 44, of Bosnia Herzegovina, Ledi Bianku, 37, of Albania and Lech Garlicki, 61, of Poland. (ANI)
- Extradition of British terror suspects to US halted - Jul 08, 2010
- EU court halts extradition of UK terror suspects to US - Jul 08, 2010
- Imprisoned Brit hate cleric Hamza set to go free - Feb 19, 2009
- UK has spent over 100,000 pounds to sustain hate cleric Hamza - Feb 19, 2010
- Jailed terrorist rants on extremist website - Aug 26, 2010
- Hamza was invited as a special "attraction" to a terror training camp - May 01, 2009
- Seething Hamza forced back into jail cell in UK - Jan 13, 2011
- WikiLeaks founder's extradition trial begins in Britain - Feb 07, 2011
- UK taxpayer to fork out 800,000 pounds as legal fees for hate cleric Hamza - May 18, 2009
- Assange attacks British judge's extradition order - Feb 26, 2011
- Disgraced soccer star Marlon King converts to Islam - Apr 12, 2010
- Assange extradition case could last many months - Dec 08, 2010
- 'Fatwa' issued against British home secretary - Jan 29, 2011
- Australia expects Sweden to treat Assange justly under Swedish, international law if extradited - Feb 19, 2011
- UK-based terror accused Abu Hamza's extradition to the US cleared - Feb 08, 2008
Tags: bly oregon, bonnell, british courts, cleric, degrading conditions, detention facility, european convention of human rights, european court of human rights, extradition, followers, life sentence, ljiljana, maximum security, moldavia, nebojsa, prosecutors, racial hatred, strasbourg, terror charges, vucinic