Talha Ahsan is a British-born poet and writer with Asperger syndrome facing extradition to America.
LATEST ACTIONS
Campaign to have Talha tried in the UK - write letters to the Home Secretary, DPP and Attorney General to prevent Talha and the others from imminent extradition
Extradition Film - Screening Tour (UK) - come to one these screenings and bring along someone who doesn't know about these cases
If convicted he will spend 70 years in "supermax" solitary confinement in ADX Florence.
Read on and help stop this injustice.
Background
Talha was arrested at home on 19th July 2006 pursuant to a warrant under the controversial Extradition Act 2003 whereby no prima facie evidence is required to support a request.
He is accused of terrorism-related offences between 1997-2004 based on a series of websites one of whose servers happened to be in American amongst several other countries. He denies all charges.
The enormity of the claims is not commensurate with the facts:
- Talha Ahsan is a British Citizen who has never been to America
- He has a condition called Asperger syndrome ( www.autism.org.uk ) which has caused him a history of difficulties since childhood.
- He has never been arrested or questioned by British police despite a number of men being so from his local area in Decemeber 2003 for similar allegations. All of them released without charge.
- One of them, Babar Ahmad was later compensated £60,000 by the Metropolitian police after a civil case in March 2009 for violent physical and racist abuse during his arrest leaving 73 injuries and bleeding in his ears and urine. In August 2010 a number of officers were finally charged with assault and are now waiting trail.
- It was "evidence" from that incident which formed the basis of arrest for Talha Ahsan 3 and a half years later after Mr. Ahmad had lost his own extradition case at the High Court in July 2006.
- The British Police returned all computers taken from the Ahsan household with all contents intact.
- There exists a legal basis for prosecution in the UK from the Court of Appeal case of R. V. Sheppard and Whittle in January 2010. The appellants were charged with possession, publication and distribution (via the internet) of racially inflammatory material. They argued that the US was more appropriate than the UK for the prosecution as the websites were hosted in California. Instead the Court of Appeal considered the following factors as key to the appropriateness of prosecution in the UK:
- whether “substantial measure of the activities constituting the crime take place in England.
- whether the website in question was “operated and controlled” from the UK, “and was loaded, maintained and controlled” from the UK.
- whether the material on the website was written and edited within the UK, and collated and selected within the UK.
- He is currently in the final stage of proceedings at the European Courts of Human Right.
- He has now served the equivalent of an 8 year sentence at high security prison without trail.
- There is much more that is troubling about these cases in addition to police brutality: questioning of Guantanamo detainees about the allegations; torture of a relative in Pakistan; and bugging of prison visits from a local MP. Indeed there may be other disturbing details waiting to surface.
- Both the Conservatives and Liberal Democrats have expressed opposition to these extradition arrangements before the elections. Let them be true to their word in government.
- The Ahsan family believe that terrorism can be tackled without compromising the sovereignty of British Citizenship or betraying a sense of justice.
- He is represented by Gareth Peirce of Birnberg Peirce & Partners. You can read her article on UK-US extradition and arrangements here: LINK
How to help
Write to the Home Secretary and Attorney General that Talha Ahsan be either freed or tried in a British court if has committed any crime.
The Rt. Hon. Theresa May MP
Home Secretary
Home Office
2 Marsham Street
London SW1P 4DF
The Rt. Hon. Dominic Grieve
Attorney General's Office
20 Victoria Street
LondonSW1H 0NF
Personal Details
Talha was educated at Dulwich College before receiving a 1st in Arabic from SOAS, London University.
Contact Details:
You can write to Talha at:
Syed Talha Ahsan
A9438AG Detainee
Unit HMP
Long Lartin
South Littleton
Evesham
WR11
For copies of this (free) campaign postcard please email Maryam Hassan (maryamhassan2003@hotmail.com) with your name, address and quantity required.
For further information see:
FreeTalha Ahsan Page on the Facebook
Free Talha Ahsan information page on the Facebook
 Free Talha Ahsan | [Poster] | 0 Kb |
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