8y emall mayL[parllamenLuk

8y posL Pouse of Commons London SW1A 0AA

Cpen leLLer Lo 1heresa May SecreLary of SLaLe for Lhe Pome Cfflce
uear 1heresa May
Cn 3 uecember !ullan Assange wlll seek leave Lo appeal hls exLradlLlon Lo Sweden aL Lhe uk Supreme
CourL whlch many commenLaLors say ls unllkely Lo be granLed 1he lmpllcaLlons of Lhls for 8rlLlsh
[usLlce under Lhe Luropean ArresL WarranL sysLem are alarmlng Mr Assange ls belng exLradlLed aL
Lhe behesL of an lovestlqotloq prosecuLor noL a proper [udlclal auLhorlLy whlch subverLs Lhe
lnLenLlon of arllamenL when drafLlng Lhe 2003 LxLradlLlon AcL and wlLhouL belng charged whlch
subverLs Lhe lnLenLlon of Lhe lramework ulrecLlve lLself 1he LAW was never lnLended Lo be used for
quesLlonlng or lnvesLlgaLlon 8y law Lhe Swedlsh prosecuLor Marlanne ny cannoL declde Lo
prosecuLe unLll Lhe end of Lhe prellmlnary lnvesLlgaLlon and alLernaLlves such as MuLual Legal
AsslsLance were refused by her lf Mr Assange can fall foul of such draconlan and frlghLenlng
prosecuLorlal overreach under Lhe LAW Lhen so can we all

Also on 3 uecember Lhere wlll be a debaLe abouL exLradlLlon ln Lhe Pouse of Commons followlng on
from lasL week's backbench exLradlLlon debaLe whlch en[oyed broad crossparLy supporL 1haL
debaLe ralsed many lssues perLlnenL Lo !ullan Assange's case buL l would llke Lo focus ln deLall on Lhe
ones concernlng your role as Pome SecreLary

Menzles Campbell sLaLed LhaL Lhe 8aker 8evlew's recommendaLlon LhaL your sLaLuLory auLhorlLy on
Lhe Puman 8lghLs AcL 1998 be Lransferred Lo Lhe courLs

falls Lo undersLand Lhe naLure of exLradlLlon LxLradlLlon ls dlplomaLlc ln Lhe flrsL
lnsLance lL becomes [udlclal and ulLlmaLely lL ls pollLlcal

ln exerclslng LhaL power Lhe Pome SecreLary ls noL acLlng ulLra vlres she ls exerclslng Lhe
power conferred on her by arllamenLLhe same soverelgn arllamenL LhaL resolved LhaL
oLher parLs of Lhe procedure should be exerclsed by Lhe courLs l see noLhlng wrong ln
prlnclple wlLh Lhe Pome SecreLary exerclslng a power conferred on her by arllamenL
addlLlonal Lo Lhe powers of Lhe courL ar||ament has chosen not to grant exc|us|ve
[ur|sd|ct|on |n matters of extrad|t|on to the courts as ar||ament |s ent|t|ed to do 1he LruLh
ls LhaL Lhe Pome SecreLary ls exerclslng an admlnlsLraLlve funcLlon ln furLherance of Lhe
duLles lncumbenL on her by Lhe Puman 8lghLs AcL"

uamlen Creen summarlzed as follows

Powever Lhe Pome SecreLary ls under a duLy under Lhe Puman 8lghLs AcL 1998 noL Lo acL
ln a manner LhaL ls lncompaLlble wlLh a person's rlghLs under Lhe Luropean ConvenLlon on
Puman 8lghLs 1herefore she must cons|der whether as a resu|t of events occurr|ng after
the extrad|t|on proceed|ngs |t wou|d be contrary to the convent|on for a person to be
extrad|ted"
and
ln a case lnvolvlng exLradlLlon wlLhln Lhe Lu Lhere ls no role for Lhe Pome SecreLary 1here
ls however a duLy on Lhe SecreLary of SLaLe under secLlon 6 of Lhe Puman 8lghLs AcL 1998
Lo ensure LhaL exLradlLlon does noL breach someone's human rlghLs as l explalned ln Lhe
conLexL of Lhe Cary Mcklnnon case ur|ng the statutory extrad|t|on process human r|ghts
are cons|dered by the courts but |f a human r|ghts |ssue ar|ses after the end of that process
the nome Secretary must cons|der these |ssues"
ln a leLLer Lo kevln 8udd by CareLh elrce lnLernaLlonally respecLed human rlghLs lawyer and Mr
Assange's brlef ln Lhls case she ouLllnes Lhe Lemporary surrender" mechanlsm avallable ln Lhe
uS/Sweden bllaLeral LreaLy (buL noL ln Lhe uS/uk one) LhaL could be used for onward Lransfer of Mr
Assange from Sweden Lo Lhe uSA 1hls would clrcumvenL boLh Lhe safeguards of a formal exLradlLlon
process and Lhe need for Lhe uk's agreemenL under Lhe lramework ulrecLlve as Lhe Surrenderlng
SLaLe l assume Lhe absence of such a clause ln Lhe uS/uk LreaLy means LhaL 8rlLlsh arllamenLarlans
dlsapprove of Lhe use of such exLralegal means
@e loJepeoJeot reporLed LhaL lnformal 'backroom' dlscusslons beLween Sweden and Lhe uS abouL
!ullan Assange Look place on 8 uecember 2010 Lhe day afLer hls volunLary arresL under Lhe LAW
lease noLe also LhaL Lhe uS Lmbassy ln London decllned Lo glve a sLaLemenL when asked dlrecLly
abouL Lhe use of Lemporary surrender by Lhe CootJloo newspaper Sweden Loo has remalned sllenL
on Lhe sub[ecL alLhough lasL monLh Lhe Swedlsh prosecuLor Marlanne ny ralsed Lhe posslblllLy LhaL
Assange could be exLradlLed from Sweden Lo Lhe uS expresslng llLLle qualm abouL lL 1he medla
cllmaLe ln Sweden abouL Lhls case ls noL conduclve Lo a falr Lrlal for !ullan (ln Lhe uk such medla
behavlour would be deemed conLempL of courL) and pre[udlclal publlc remarks have been made by
Swedlsh rlme MlnlsLer lredrlk 8elnfeldL !usLlce MlnlsLer 8eaLrlce Ask and rosecuLor Ceneral
Anders erklev ln such clrcumsLances Lemporary surrender" could be achleved wlLh llLLle pollLlcal
fallouL ln Sweden

1he condlLlons of rlvaLe 8radley Mannlng's preLrlal deLenLlon aL Lhe CuanLlco base ln vlrglnla have
been wldely condemned as LanLamounL Lo LorLure lncludlng ln an open leLLer slgned by 34 MLs
and Lhe uS admlnlsLraLlon has repeaLedly blocked un Speclal 8apporLeur on 1orLure !uan Mendez
from havlng unmonlLored access Lo fulfll hls mandaLe Lo lnvesLlgaLe rlvaLe Mannlng's LreaLmenL
Slnce Lhe Wlklleaks release of Lhe CuanLanamo flles Lhere ls no denylng Lhe facL LhaL Lhe unlLed
SLaLes operaLes a LorLure reglme
l am concerned LhaL wlLh no effecLlve way for Lhe uk as orlglnal Surrenderlng SLaLe Lo block
onward Lransfer once !ullan Assange leaves our shores Lhe poLenLlal for Lemporary surrender" by
Sweden puLs 8rlLaln lLself ln breach of Lhe Lu ConvenLlon on Puman 8lghLs lf we allow exLradlLlon
from Lhe uk Lo go ahead Should evenLs play ouL ln Lhls way we may need Lo add hls case Lo Lhe
maLLers under conslderaLlon by Lhe Clbson lnqulry lnvesLlgaLlng Lhe uk's role and compllclLy ln
LorLure especlally ln llghL of Lhe recenL Appeal CourL rullng LhaL a way musL be found Lo make such
lnqulrles effecLlve ln meeLlng Lhe CovernmenL's obllgaLlons under Lhe ConvenLlon (All Zakl Mousa v
SecreLary of SLaLe for uefence)
ln vlew of Lhe above wlll you
O 8emlnd Sweden of lLs legal obllgaLlon under ArLlcle 192 of Lhe Lu CharLer of lundamenLal
8lghLs no one may be removed expelled or exLradlLed Lo a SLaLe where Lhere ls a serlous rlsk
LhaL he or she would be sub[ecLed Lo Lhe deaLh penalLy LorLure or oLher lnhuman or degradlng
LreaLmenL or punlshmenL"
O !oln Councll of Lurope Commlssloner for Puman 8lghLs 1homas Pammarberg's calls for Sweden
Lo sLop relylng on dlplomaLlc assurances" regardlng deLalnee Lransfers (8ecommendaLlon 3 of
hls CounLry vlslL reporL)
O Call for Swedlsh rlme MlnlsLer lredrlk 8elnfeldL Lo make a clear and unequlvocal sLaLemenL LhaL
Sweden wlll nC1 use Lhe Lemporary surrender mechanlsm Lo Lransfer !ullan Assange Lo Lhe
unlLed SLaLes
O 8lock Mr Assange's exLradlLlon from Lhe uk on Lhe grounds l have ouLllned above and ln
accordance wlLh your legal obllgaLlons under secLlon 6 of Lhe Puman 8lghLs AcL 1998 as seL ouL
by Menzles Campbell and uamlen Creen durlng lasL week's exLradlLlon debaLe unLll such Llme
as Lhls sLaLemenL has been made
?ours slncerely

name
8rlLlsh clLlzen