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Hacking For UFO Secrets

Tories to force Commons vote on Gary McKinnon case
Shadow home secretary says he hopes MPs will send a message to the government that hacker should be tried in UK not US
Andrew Sparrow and agencies guardian.co.uk, Wednesday 15 July 2009

The Conservatives will today use a Commons vote to signal their opposition to the proposal to extradite Gary McKinnon to the US to face trial for hacking into American military computers.

Chris Grayling, the shadow home secretary, said he hoped MPs would "send a message" to the government that McKinnon, who has Asperger's syndrome, ought to be put on trial in the UK and not in the US, where he faces a sentence of up to 60 years.

McKinnon is still using the courts to try to block his extradition and MPs will not vote directly on his case. But the Tories have tabled a motion expressing "very great concern" about the way the extradition system is working and calling for the Extradition Act 2003 to be reformed "at the earliest opportunity".

The Tories are hoping that the Liberal Democrats and some Labour MPs will support them when the Commons votes on the motion this afternoon.

Ministers claim that the act, which affects extradition between the UK and the US, has benefited both countries and that the government does not have the power to stop McKinnon being sent to face trial in the US.

McKinnon, who is being backed by a high-profile Daily Mail campaign, yesterday asked the high court to overturn the refusal of Keir Starmer, the director of public prosecutions, to put him on trial in the UK on charges of computer misuse. If there were no UK prosecution, McKinnon would inevitably be extradited to stand trial in the US, the judges heard.

The court reserved judgment and said it hoped to give a decision in writing by the end of July.

etc...

http://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/2009 ... y-mckinnon
 
Govt defeats McKinnon extradition vote

Govt defeats McKinnon extradition vote

http://www.politics.co.uk/news/lega...efeats-mckinnon-extradition-vote-$1311573.htm

Wednesday, 15, Jul 2009 05:06

By Liz Stephens and Ian Dunt

A fight by the Tories to prevent the extradition of computer hacker Gary McKinnon to the US was defeated today.

The Conservatives devoted today's opposition day debate to the matter of Mr McKinnon, a UFO enthusiast suffering from Aspergers Syndrome who is due to be extradited to the US for trial after hacking into Nasa and Pentagon computers.

They recieved support from the Liberal Democrats, with 236 MPs supporting the motion.

But the government defeated it with 290 votes.

If convicted Mr McKinnon could face 60 years in a maximum security prison.

Doctors are worried that Mr McKinnon is "vulnerable" and may be a suicide risk if extradited.

Speaking during the debate, Conservative home affairs spokesman Chris Graylin called for an urgent review of the extraidition agreement with the United States.

"I believe that such a review is vital to maintain the integrity of our extradition system, to make changes to ensure that it is fair and just and to make sure that it enjoys public confidence," he said.

"There is no doubt that such public confidence has been sorely lacking in the last few years."

A nationwide campaign in support of Mr McKinnon has been set up backed by the Daily Mail.

Tory leader David Cameron said: "I am deeply saddened and worried about the case of Gary McKinnon. I am saddened because he is clearly a vulnerable young man with a recognised medical condition.

"I simply see no compassion in sending him away to serve a lengthy prison sentence, thousands of miles away from his home, his family and his friends.

"The Extradition Act was put in place to ensure terrorists didn't escape justice. It was never intended to deal with a case like Gary's."

Mr McKinnon admitted hacking into 97 US computers from his North London home in 2001 and 2002. He was looking for evidence of extra-terrestrials.

Mr McKinnon's supporters are trying to halt the extradition so the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) can reconsider the case. They argue that, because the crimes were committed in the UK, Mr McKinnon should be tried in the UK.

The hacker's mother, Janis Sharp said: "In 2004, when considering the extradition of Abu Hamza, the then home secretary said: 'Had we evidence in the UK of a crime committed here then of course the police and the attorney general would have taken action.'

"Well, if that's the approach for a convicted terrorist, why not for a gentle, misguided Asperger's sufferer like Gary?"

The US government claims the incident was the "biggest military hack of all time" and cost more than $700,000 (£430,000) in repairs.

I'm looking forward to this, it's gonna be bigger than the OJ and MJ trials.
 
In Support of Gary McKinnon: Download Chicago song...

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David Gilmour of Pink Floyd has contributed to a song called Chicago/Change the World in support of Gary McKinnon, who faces 6 charges for hacking 97 Pentagon and NASA computer systems.

The song, by Graham Nash and originally recorded by Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young, has been treated to new lyrics by Gary's mother, Janis Sharp, which Graham has generously approved. The song is addressed to US President Barack Obama, and highlights Gary's perilous legal position as he continues his seven-year fight against deportation, which, under the terms of the treaty, does not require the US to produce any proof of wrongdoing; however, the agreement is not reciprocal and the treaty, originally put in place by then-Home Secretary David Blunkett, has been much criticised for the way in which UK citizens only are exposed to deportation without a domestic judicial process.

According to Chrissie Hynde, "Gary McKinnon is clearly not a terrorist, and the US is in danger of using a sledgehammer treaty to crush him like a nut. The US doesn't allow its own Nationals to be tried abroad, so let Gary be free to face the music in his own country".

LINK!
 
Re: W-Kein-Gutheinz is a NASA Whistleblower

Gutheinz has written numerous science, science fiction and legal articles. In the story you cite he begins by telling his readers that the story could be real, a lie or a dream and that it is up to the reader to decide. He is a retired NASA OIG Senior Special Agent who use to receive complaints in line with the story he wrote. He earned the NASA Exceptional Service Medal as an Agent and is credited with bringing in the largest count indictment and conviction in NASA history.
 
Barack Obama to be asked not to extradite UFO hacker Gary McKinnon
Barack Obama is to receive a personal plea from peers, MPs and mental health experts to halt the extradition of a British computer hacker who suffers from a form of autism.
By Martin Beckford
Published: 7:00AM BST 17 Jul 2009

Campaigners will call on the US president to let Gary McKinnon face trial in his home country for breaking into Nasa and Pentagon networks, rather than sending him to America where he could be jailed for up to 60 years in a high-security prison.

They will say that the 43 year-old has Asperger syndrome – a type of autism that makes him shy and prone to obsessive behaviour – and warn that his condition would likely deteriorate were he to be taken away from his home and family then jailed abroad.

The letter is being written by the National Autistic Society, a leading charity, and the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Autism, a cross-party alliance of MPs and peers that lobbies for better support for sufferers.

A spokesman for the society said: "The group are intending to write to Barack Obama.

"The letter hasn't been drafted yet but it will be finalised in the next couple of days. It may involve asking MPs for signatures."

David Burrowes, Mr McKinnon's local MP in Enfield Southgate, said: "We need to take it further and call upon Barack Obama himself to take action as the pleas have fallen on deaf ears so far."

Chris Grayling, the shadow home secretary, added: "I think it would be a good idea. I hope that even if the UK authorities feel unable to look again at the case, if it was legally possible for the US to do so, that would be a sensible position to take."

Mr McKinnon admits that he hacked into 97 US computers from a bedroom in north London between 2001 and 2002 and left a message on one machine saying: "I will continue to disrupt at the highest levels."

He says he was looking for evidence to show that the authorities have covered up the existence of UFOs.

.......

On Wednesday, MPs told Alan Johnson, the new Home Secretary, that his case shows a review is needed of Britain's "unbalanced" extradition treaty with the US.

The Extradition Act 2003 requires the US only to show "reasonable suspicion" that the intended subject committed a crime before they can be removed from Britain, a lower threshold than British authorities must show in order to bring an American to trial.

However the Conservatives' call for a review of the treaty was defeated by 290 votes to 236.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldne ... innon.html
 
Re: W-Kein-Gutheinz is a NASA Whistleblower

James02 said:
Gutheinz has written numerous science, science fiction and legal articles. In the story you cite he begins by telling his readers that the story could be real, a lie or a dream and that it is up to the reader to decide.
Is it? Oh, good. It's a lie. That was easy...
 
Andrew MacKinlay MP quits over hacker Gary McKinnon's extradition
A respected Labour MP has announced his resignation in frustration at parliament's failure to block the extradition of hacker Gary McKinnon to the US.
By Matthew Moore
Published: 8:30AM BST 25 Jul 2009

Andrew MacKinlay is to quit the Commons at the next election after becoming disillusioned with the ability of backbenchers to stand up to Government.

Only 10 Labour MPs voted for a review of the extradition treaty under which the Asperger's sufferer is being sought, even though 74 had signed motions in support of his case.

Mr MacKinlay, who has represented Thurrock in Essex for 17 years, accused his fellow Labour MPs of putting party orders before conscience and said he was disillusioned about the direction the Commons was headed.

"I believe it's the role of backbenchers to probe and criticise," he said.

"In instances like the McKinnon case, which relate to people's rights and liberties as well as common sense, you should just spurn the diktats and the Whips

"I was really frustrated by the vote last week. Many of my colleagues had expressed their sympathy for Gary McKinnon. But when the crunch came, they just went tribal and followed the diktats of the party." :evil:

Mr MacKinlay has developed a reputation as one of the most hard-working MPs at Westminster and has admirers on both sides of the house. He cited exhaustion as another reason for his decision to step down.

Last night Mr McKinnon's mother Janis Sharp thanked the MP for his public protest.

'It's incredible, wonderful news and this man has my complete and total respect. I think it's tremendous that he has the strength to stand up and do what he believes is right," she said

The High Court will rule next week on a last-ditch appeal against the decision – backed by the Home Office, to send Mr McKinnon to the US.

Mr McKinnon is accused of hacking into Nasa and Pentagon computers, but his supporters claim he is just a misguided UFO enthusiast who would be unable to cope with life in an American jail.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstop ... ition.html
 
Hacker's 'moral crusade' over UFO

A Briton fighting extradition to the US for hacking into top-secret computers claims he was morally justified in breaking the law.

Gary McKinnon, 43, from Wood Green, north London, admits hacking into 97 US government computers, including Nasa's and Pentagon's, during 2001 and 2002.

He told the BBC he was on a "moral crusade" to prove US intelligence had found an alien craft run on clean fuel.

Results of judicial reviews into Mr McKinnon's case are due on Friday.

They focus on whether Mr McKinnon should have been allowed to face trial in the UK and whether the decision to extradite him should have been reconsidered in light of his diagnosis as having Asperger's Syndrome last year.

His lawyers say he is "eccentric" rather than malicious and that he should be tried on lesser charges in the UK to protect his mental health.

Mr McKinnon is accused of hacking into the computers with the intention of intimidating the US government.

His legal team fear he could be treated as a terrorist and face up to 70 years in jail.

The US government says his actions caused damage costing $800,000 (£500,000) at a time of heightened security in the wake of the 11 September 2001 attacks.

Mr McKinnon told BBC Radio 5 live's Victoria Derbyshire show: "I'm not blind to criminality but I was on a moral crusade at the time.

"There was good evidence to show that certain secretive parts of the American government intelligence agencies did have access to crashed extra terrestrial technology which could... save us as a form of free, clean, pollution-free energy.

"I thought if someone was holding on to that, that was actually unconstitutional under American law."


Mr McKinnon also criticised arrangements between the two countries that meant the US only had to prove "reasonable suspicion" to force extradition of a British citizen.

To extradite an American from the US, the British must prove "probable cause".

"It is actually a completely unbalanced extradition treaty. It should be a two-way street," said Mr McKinnon.

Earlier this month, the Conservatives failed in a bid to force a review of the law when their Commons motion was defeated by 54 votes.

Home Secretary Alan Johnson told them the 2003 treaty had simplified extradition procedures while safeguarding defendants' rights.

The burden of evidence required on each side is "essentially" the same, he added.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/8172842.stm
 
Bastards! :evil:

British hacker Gary McKinnon loses appeal against extradition to the U.S.
By Michael Seamark and James Slack
Last updated at 10:31 AM on 31st July 2009

British computer expert Gary McKinnon today lost his latest High Court bid to avoid extradition to America where he faces trial for hacking into U.S. military networks.
His lawyers argued that extraditing the 43-year-old, who suffers from Asperger's Syndrome, would lead to 'disastrous consequences' for his health, including possible psychosis and suicide.

But today Lord Justice Stanley Burnton and Mr Justice Wilkie, sitting in London, dismissed his claim for judicial review.
Mr McKinnon, from Wood Green, north London, asked the court to overturn decisions of successive Home Secretaries allowing his extradition to go ahead.
He also challenged a refusal by Keir Starmer QC, the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP), to put him on trial in the UK on charges of computer misuse. UK trial would allow him to avoid extradition.

Lord Justice Burnton said: 'For the reasons set out in the judgment the claims against the secretary of state and DPP are dismissed.'
In a 41-page ruling, the judges said extradition was 'a lawful and proportionate response to his offending'.
Whether or not Mr McKinnon can appeal further will be decided at a later date.
Lord Justice Burnton said it was a matter that should be dealt with 'as expeditiously as possible', probably in September.

His mother, Janis Sharp, said outside court: 'We are heartbroken. If the law says it's fair to destroy someone's life in this way then it's a bad law.'
She added: 'Our hope still lies with the Government. What more evidence do Gordon Brown and Alan Johnson need to understand what extraditing Gary would do to him, let alone us?
'Gary would not survive and I would never see my son again. All to oblige the Americans?
'If Gary's was such a dreadful crime, he should have been prosecuted and sentenced here years ago.
'Instead he's been left tortured by fear for seven years. Compassion can and must now prevail.'


Lawyers for Mr McKinnon, who was told the decision yesterday, described him as an 'UFO eccentric' who had been searching for evidence of extra-terrestrial life, and described the idea that he was a danger to U.S. national security as 'a complete fantasy'.

Karen Todner, Mr McKinnon's solicitor, said: 'This ruling is hugely disappointing. But we shall not stop here.
'Alan Johnson still has the power to act. We have 28 days to review the judgment and will continue to explore every legal avenue until we achieve a just and proper result.
'The Government promised "ample protection" of individuals' rights, but we have yet to see this in practice.
'Extradition without effective safeguards is a denial of justice for every UK citizen.'


etc...

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article ... innon.html
 
Peter Hain criticises Gary McKinnon extradition
Peter Hain, the former Cabinet minister, has become the most senior Labour figure to break ranks and call for hacker Gary McKinnon to be tried in Britain.
By Richard Edwards, Crime Correspondent
Published: 7:00AM BST 03 Aug 2009

Mr McKinnon, who suffers from Asperger's syndrome, is set to be extradited to the United States despite a long-running campaign by his supporters, who say that he will be unable to cope with the US legal system.

Alan Johnson, the Home Secretary, has insisted that he does not have the power to halt Mr McKinnon's extradition.

But Mr Hain last night criticised the way the Government had handled the case, saying that it should have been referred to Keir Starmer, the Director of Public Prosecutions to decide on possible charges in a “British context”.

“After all he was sitting in his bedroom by his computer, as a kind of computer geek zapping the American defence system, and therefore he was committing an offence on British soil,” Mr Hain told the Daily Mail.

He added: "I have got a lot of sympathy for Gary McKinnon and his mum, who is a very brave woman fighting for his rights. He has got Asperger's syndrome which does tend to produce the kind of behaviour that is very compulsive"

Meanwhile Harriet Harman, the deputy Labour leader, hinted that Mr McKinnon would be allowed to serve his jail sentence in Britain if convicted in the US.

Ms Harman, who is standing in for Gordon Brown while the Prime Minister is on holiday, rejected claims that the extradition treaty is "inbalanced" and said it would be wrong for the Government to intervene in the controversial case.

The 43-year-old hacker is wanted for trial in the US accused of breaking into sensitive military networks from his bedroom in north London.

Miss Harman told BBC1's Andrew Marr Show: "If the Americans have made out in court a case that this is an allegation of an offence of sufficient seriousness that they want him to stand trial in America, I don't think it should be for the British Government or any British politician to say we are going to second-guess the criminal justice system."

She added: "If he is found guilty, then obviously straight away we will seek for him to serve any prison sentence – if he is sentenced to prison – back in this country."

Mr Johnson said a High Court ruling last week, in which Mr McKinnon failed in his bid to avoid removal to America, made clear "it would be illegal for me to stop the extradition".

He said Mr McKinnon was accused of "serious crimes" allegedly carried out "shortly after the attacks of 9/11 which killed nearly 3,000 US citizens".

Janis Sharp, Mr McKinnon's mother, immediately criticised the Home Secretary for making the apparent link to the September 11 attacks.

"I was very disappointed because not only is he (Mr Johnson) trying not to stand up for Gary's rights, he actually is trying to incriminate him by talking about 9/11 and all the people that died and then mentioning Gary's name," she said.

"I don't expect him to actually be doing America's job, I expect him to be standing up for British citizens."


She admitted her son's actions had been "very stupid" and "ludicrous", but repeated her call for him to be tried in Britain.

"Gary's never said he should get off or he shouldn't face up to what he's done," she said.

"He should be tried here. If they (the Government) want to, they could quite easily stop this extradition."

Miss Sharp also said she still held out hope that United States' President Barack Obama may intervene.

More than 40 MPs have issued a highly unusual direct plea to the Mr Obama urging him to halt the "shameful" extradition.

David Cameron, the Conservative leader, also threw his weight behind a campaign.

Mr McKinnon is now planning to take the case to the new Supreme Court next spring, in the run-up to the expected general election.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstop ... ition.html

One of the panel in a recent Any Questions, someone said this case made the UK seem like the 51st state of America.... :evil:
 
Stop passing the buck on Gary McKinnon and let British common sense prevail
We should be protecting Gary McKinnon, not catapulting him across the Atlantic, argues Boris Johnson.
Published: 7:11AM BST 03 Aug 2009

Since it is now obvious that the British state is about to commit one of the most protoplasmic acts of self-abasement since Suez, and since the clock is now ticking to the moment when Gary McKinnon, 43, will be taken from his home in north London and put – if necessary by force – on a plane to America, it is time to pose the question everyone seems to have ignored.

Leave aside, for a moment, the morality of exporting the Asperger’s sufferer for trial in America. Can I ask, what is the point of having a trial at all? I simply do not understand what proposition is to be so expensively tested in this American courtroom.

Gary McKinnon is accused of hacking into American military computers. He is charged with roaming around the cyberspace of the Pentagon, and leaving such insulting spoor as “your security is cr-p”. He is accused of guessing passwords, and trying to view secret photos of unidentified flying objects in Nasa databanks. All this will be put to him in court by some brace-twanging prosecution counsel, as though it were the crux of the matter.

And yet Mr McKinnon has never denied it. He has always said that he hacked into American military computers, and that is because he earnestly believes that there is a conspiracy between Uncle Sam and Big Oil to cover up the interception of alien craft that are running on some kind of renewable energy. For all I know he may be right. 8)

It might just be that the Vulcans have discovered some way of making cucumbers from moonbeams, and then boiling those cucumbers up into bioethanol. It may be that he is right in thinking that alien life forms did land at Roswell. It may be that the securocrats of the Pentagon have for decades been concealing the fact that Elvis is alive and well, and living on Mars.

If the trial were to get to the bottom of that or any other big UFO mystery, then it might be worth the admission. :D But, of course, the trial turns on no such question. The only point to be proven is whether or not Gary McKinnon did the hacking, and on that there is no doubt. He says he did. He says it freely. So the only questions remaining are: whether his actions constitute a crime that deserves the seven-year torture of the extradition process, whether he deserves the possibility of a 60-year jail sentence, and whether the British authorities are right to be engaged in this dog-like grovelling to America.

To all those questions the answer must be an emphatic no. I do not believe for a moment that the Pentagon and Nasa sustained half a million pounds’ worth of damage to their systems, as they bleatingly allege. But even if it were true, Gary McKinnon has performed a service that must be rated cheap at the price. He may be a crank, but then he is certainly no terrorist.

He may believe in little green men, but he was not operating as a fifth columnist on behalf of these Venusians. He was not trying to cripple American defences in preparation for an assault from outer space. He was simply following up a weird intuition that UFOs exist, with all the compulsiveness that he has exhibited since he was a child.

In so doing, he has generously helped America to prepare against attack from a more sinister foe. If it was so ludicrously easy to penetrate these encryptions, then what could al-Qaeda have done? Just imagine if America’s defence establishment had commissioned IT consultants to probe their systems as exhaustively as Gary McKinnon. The contract would have been worth far more than £500,000.

McKinnon did it without charge, sitting up all the night, hardly eating, smoking heavily and spending so long tap-tapping in his dressing gown that his girlfriend gave up on him. The Americans shouldn’t be threatening him with jail. They should be offering him consultancy.

Even if you still believe – and I don’t – that there was some element of malice in his actions, that does not make him a fit person to be sent for trial and incarceration in America. The diagnosis of Asperger’s has been confirmed by the world’s leading expert in the field, Simon Baron-Cohen. He says that if this dreamer were to find himself in prison, there is a risk that he would take his own life.

This 2003 extradition treaty – supposedly aimed at al-Qaeda – has caught the wrong man in its gin. My objection is not that the treaty is lopsided, though of course it is. The crucial point is that Gary McKinnon is not some smooth-talking banker accused of fraud, nor is he a terrorist. He is a classic British nutjob, who passionately believes something that is irrational but cannot be easily controverted, and he is a prime candidate for the protection of the Government.

In a tortuous apologia for his decision to extradite, the Home Secretary yesterday wrote – as if it were a good thing – that “one of the most important features of the 2003 Act was the deliberate removal of any discretion the Home Secretary may have in relation to extradition”. :roll: On this account, we may wonder why we have elected politicians at all.

On this account, the treaty is like a kind of computer-assisted catapult that pings people across the Atlantic whenever the Americans require. In reality, the Home Office has no such excuse. It could easily have decided, on humanitarian grounds, that the extradition should not go ahead.

The High Court has merely confirmed that its decision to ignore common sense and decency was not, in itself, illegal. It was just immoral. I can identify at least one mysterious flying object over the skies of London, and that is the buck being passed, at high speed, by the Home Secretary. :twisted:

Not since the waters retired from the face of the earth has there been such a display of blob-like invertebracy in Whitehall. Let us hope that a British court will have the courage in the next few days to stop this madness, shame the Government, and prevent the martyrdom of a harmless eccentric.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/comment/colu ... evail.html
 
He is a classic British nutjob, who passionately believes something that is irrational but cannot be easily controverted, and he is a prime candidate for the protection of the Government.

Boris for PM!
 
Autism Campaigners Appeal To President Obama On Gary McKinnon
http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/160039.php
06 Aug 2009

Autism campaigners Ivan Corea of the UK Autism Foundation and Kevin Healey Chairman of the Staffordshire Adults Autistic Society (who has Asperger's Syndrome) have issued a joint appeal on Gary McKinnon to President Barack Obama at the White House.

They have also launched a new online petition in support of Gary McKinnon who hacked into 97 America military computers at the Pentagon and Nasa between 2001 and 2002.

Lord Carlile, the Home Office's adviser on terror laws, said extraditing Mr McKinnon would be "cruel and unconscionable" when he could be prosecuted in the UK. Opposition Leader David Cameron said he remained "far from convinced" that extradition was the right course of action and Liberal Democrat leader Nick Clegg has stated that there was no reason why Mr McKinnon should not be tried in the UK.The autism campaigner in the House of Commons Lee Scott has also signed a letter written by MPs to President Obama. Gary McKinnon was recently backed by Cabinet member, Peter Hain, the Welsh Secretary.

Gary McKinnon is also supported by former Home Secretary David Blunkett, Mayor of London Boris Johnson, Sir Bob Geldoff, Dave Gilmour, Chrissy Hynde, Nick Hornby, Trudie Styler and human rights campaigner Terry Waite among a whole host of celebrities and charities. Ivan Corea and Kevin Healey have appealed directly to President Barack Obama on Gary McKinnon.

Ivan Corea said: ' UKAF has joined forces with autism campaigner Kevin Healey of SAAS in appealing to President Obama to show compassion and allow him to be tried in the UK. Gary McKinnon is no terrorist. He has Asperger's Syndrome. He admits he has done wrong - we maintain that autism is a very complex world and sometimes you have unexplained behaviour. Gary was diagnosed with Asperger's Syndrome by the eminent Professor Simon Baron Cohen. He says he was looking for evidence on UFOs. We urge President Obama to be compassionate where Gary McKinnon is concerned,' he said.

The UK Autism Foundation has joined forces with SAAS, the Autism Trust and others in setting up a new online petition in support of Gary McKinnon.

UKAF and SAAS are urging people to sign this new petition in support of Gary McKinnon. His lawyers have 28 days to appeal against the High Court decision.

Source
UK Autism Foundation
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 
Half a million Americans throw their weight behind computer hacker Gary McKinnon
By James Slack
Last updated at 12:44 AM on 28th August 2009

A popular U.S. civil liberties group last night dramatically backed the case for computer hacker Gary McKinnon to face justice in the UK.
In a significant breakthrough for the Daily Mail's campaign of behalf of the 43-year-old Asperger's sufferer, the American Civil Liberties Union described his plight as 'tragic'.
In a letter to Foreign Secretary David Miliband, the group - which has more than half a million members - said Mr McKinnon was facing removal to the U.S. under an Extradition Act which is 'lopsided' and 'unfair' to Britain.

The ACLU wants him to face prosecution for hacking into 97 NASA and Pentagon computers - offences committed while he was searching for proof of the existence of alien life - in the UK in the 'interests of justice'. This process would automatically halt extradition.
The intervention came as the Tory justice spokesman attacked the 'crude and clumsy' Extradition Act, and demanded ministers ensure ' justice is done'.

The developments are a huge boost to Mr McKinnon, who experts have warned could commit suicide if his extradition to the U.S. is not halted by Home Secretary Alan Johnson.

Supporters pointed out that even huge numbers of Americans did not want the hacker to be punished in the U.S. for crimes which were committed on British soil, from the bedroom of his North London flat.

In the letter, ACLU executive director Anthony Romero told Mr Miliband the 'unfair lopsided aspect' of the treaty meant that while Americans could only be extradited to the UK if 'probable cause' had been established, there was no equivalent provision for Britons facing extradition to the U.S.

The letter was released as UK civil rights group Liberty delivered a hamper to new U.S. ambassador Louis Susman containing letters from the ACLU and Liberty, as well as 'Don't let Gary go' paper planes.
Last night Liberty director Shami Chakrabarti said: 'The intervention of Liberty's sister, the American Civil Liberties Union, proves that Britain's Extradition Act is an international embarrassment.
'Vulnerable people like Gary McKinnon can be bundled off to other countries when they ought to be dealt with at home.
'If Parliament doesn't amend Britain's rotten Extradition Act to put discretion and common sense back into the system, other vulnerable sons and daughters are bound to suffer.'

etc...

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article ... z0PT5sFSNe
 
Alan Johnson is accused of a cover-up over Gary McKinnon's legal battle
By James Slack and Michael Seamark
Last updated at 11:42 PM on 06th September 2009

Alan Johnson was last night accused of presiding over a cover-up after refusing to release crucial legal papers in the Gary McKinnon case.

The Home Secretary has repeatedly insisted that he is powerless to halt the extradition of the 43-year-old Asperger's sufferer to the U.S., where he faces 60 years in jail for computer hacking.

But Mr Johnson's officials have denied a request from the Daily Mail to release the legal advice on which this hugely controversial claim is based.

The officials admit there is a 'public interest' in the country having faith in the Home Secretary's decision being based on 'sound' legal advice.

But they claim that by publishing the information, it may make the Government and lawyers reluctant to seek or provide legal advice in the future - even though the bulk of the legal opinion provided on Gary's case came from within the Home Office itself.

Last night, Shadow Home Secretary Chris Grayling said: 'I just can't understand what the Home Office are trying to hide. There is a legal debate raging about a high profile case.

'Why on earth would they try to avoid setting out in detail their own legal position. It just makes no sense.'

The Mail is campaigning to save Gary from extradition to the U.S. on charges that he hacked into NASA and Pentagon computers.

The legal advice is crucial to his case, given the row over whether or not Mr Johnson can stop the extradition. At least three senior lawyers say he has the power to halt the process.

By refusing to release the papers, the public is denied the chance to see if Mr Johnson's interpretation is correct.


If it were to be established that Mr Johnson could intervene, the pressure on him to stop the extradition would be overwhelming.

Gary's mother Janis Sharp said she was 'astounded' by the decision to turn down the Mail's Freedom of Information request.

'The public have to trust their elected government and the way to achieve this is through openness and honesty and not for them to hide behind secret facts or beliefs that cannot be discussed or contested by the public,' she said.

'Mr Johnson previously had a reputation for fairness and upholding humanitarian ideals. I therefore hope he will change his mind and give voters the respect they deserve by being open and honest.

'Choosing to keep such information secret smacks of a totalitarian society and only serves to further destroy confidence in our Government.'

etc...

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article ... z0QPZDZnNM
 
Gary McKinnon: MPs step up political pressure on Alan Johnson to halt hacker's extradition to US
A cross party group of MPs is attempting to apply fresh political pressure on the Home Secretary Alan Johnson to halt the extradition of the Pentagon hacker Gary McKinnon.
By John Bingham
Published: 6:27PM BST 08 Sep 2009

A delegation of three Labour, Conservative and Liberal Democrat members will tell Mr Johnson in a meeting at the Home Office that he has the “power and the duty” to step in to prevent Mr McKinnon, who suffers from Asperger's syndrome, a form of autism, being sent for trial in the United States.

David Davis, the former Shadow Home Secretary, the Liberal Democrat home affairs spokesman Chris Huhne and Michael Meacher, the former Labour minister, are joining forces to urge a rethink.

They will present Mr Johnson with a detailed legal opinion challenging the Government’s claim that it has no power to intervene in the extradition which has already been agreed by the courts.

Mr McKinnon is wanted for trial in the United States accused of breaking into sensitive military computer networks from his bedroom in north London eight years ago.

What was described as the “biggest military computer hack of all time” disrupted important US defence IT systems in the days after the September 11 terrorist attacks of 2001.

The 43-year-old admits he broke into the systems but insists that he was merely looking for evidence of UFOs.

He says that he is prepared to stand trial for the offences in this country rather than the US.


In July he lost an eleventh hour High Court challenge to the move claiming that it would worsen his condition and thus represent "inhuman" treatment breaching his human rights.

His legal team is now hoping to challenge the decision at the new Supreme Court, meaning that he is unlikely to be extradited before next spring at the earliest if he loses there.

Mr Johnson claims that it would be “illegal” for him to intervene in the legal process to stop the extradition.

But the three MPs will present him with a rival legal opinion drawn up by Tim Owen QC, a barrister in Cherie Blair’s Matrix Chambers, arguing that legislation gives the courts primary but not exclusive responsibility in extradition cases.

Mr Meacher, who requested the meeting with Mr Johnson, said: “Not only has the Home Secretary got the power but he has the duty to intervene in an extradition case, even after the court process has ended, if there is a real risk of a human rights breach should extradition proceed.

“Gary's medical condition is such that medical experts have concluded there is a grave risk to Mr McKinnon's health if he is extradited to the US.

"There is no reason why he cannot face charges in the UK for an act which took place in the UK."

Mr Huhne added: “We want to appeal to his better judgment and better nature about the vulnerable position of a British citizen with Asperger's who needs the support and help of the Government.

“He must not allow the Home Office lawyers to get on top; they should be on tap but not on top.”

More than 40 MPs signed a letter to the US President Barack Obama in July, urging him to stop the extradition.

A host of Hollywood celebrities have also joined the campaign on Mr McKinnon’s behalf.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstop ... to-US.html
 
Pentagon computer hacker Gary McKinnon seeks Supreme Court appeal
Jamie Doward The Observer, Sunday 13 September 2009

Gary McKinnon, the computer hacker with Asperger's syndrome who broke into the Pentagon's computer systems in his search for proof of UFOs, is likely to discover this week whether his appeal against extradition to the US will be heard by the UK's highest court.

His legal team claim the new supreme court of England and Wales must hear the appeal under the European convention on human rights. They argue that because the court has agreed to hear an appeal against extradition to the US brought by Ian Norris, a businessman who has prostate cancer, that ruling should apply to their client.

The civil rights group Liberty, which supports McKinnon, said there may be "compelling personal reasons why a defendant should not be sent abroad for trial".

...

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2009/se ... ion-appeal
 
lockerbie debacle

IMAO Mckinnon has lost any chance of stopping the extradition because of the Abdelbaset Ali Mohmed Al Megrahi issue

The United States will play the, "you owe us a favour in our special relationship" card.
 
Re: lockerbie debacle

marcush said:
IMAO Mckinnon has lost any chance of stopping the extradition because of the Abdelbaset Ali Mohmed Al Megrahi issue

The United States will play the, "you owe us a favour in our special relationship" card.
I hope not.

If so, the 'special relationship' (which was always one-sided anyway) is dead in the water.

Which would only push the UK back into the claws of the EU - which I'd hate even more! :evil:
 
BBC NEWS

Computer hacker Gary McKinnon has been refused permission to appeal to the UK Supreme Court against his extradition to the US.

The Glasgow-born 43-year-old is accused by the US of the breaking into its military computer system but he insists he was just seeking evidence of UFOs.

The Asperger's Syndrome sufferer, of Wood Green, London, could face 60 years or more in a US prison if convicted.

In July, he lost a High Court bid to avoid extradition.

mooks out
 
Pentagon hacker wins a US extradition delay for psychiatric review
Frances Gibb, Legal Editor

Lawyers for the Home Secretary have agreed to delay moves to extradite Gary McKinnon, the computer hacker, pending a review of fresh psychiatric evidence.

Last week Mr McKinnon, who has Asperger’s syndrome, was refused permission to take his case to the Supreme Court and faced 14 days to make representations. But government lawyers have now said that they will set aside the 14-day deadline to take time for consideration of the evidence.

Karen Todner, Mr McKinnon’s lawyer, said: “We do take some hope from this. It is the first time that Alan Johnson will have a proper opportunity to consider the reports in this case and it shows that he is taking it seriously. In the meantime we don’t want to be hammering on his door.”

Mr McKinnon, 43, from North London, is wanted by US prosecutors for what they have called the “biggest military computer hack of all time”. He faces up to 70 years in prison if convicted.

Lord Justice Stanley Burnton said: “His extradition is a lawful and proportionate response to his alleged offending.”

etc...

http://technology.timesonline.co.uk/tol ... 878553.ece
 
Joanna Lumley fronted a popular campaign to change Government policy about Gurkhas being re-patriated in the UK and the benefits to which they have access to. They found that the nation largely sided with their interpretation of what is "right" and put the government into a uncomfortable position. Ultimately winning.

McKinnon, his family and legal team need to take some pointers from the Lumley-Gurkha affair. A month or so ago McKinnon had the headlines and the nation talking, he's gone off the boil since then and needs to get back on the case. The current government are under even more strain now than ever in terms of being popular in the eyes of the people. McKinnon would not struggle to find a high level celeb to battle with him.

If McKinnon had, for example, a Stephen Fry on his side I can't really see him losing. Surely his legal team have thought of this.
 
Having said that I have every sympathy for McKinnon, who is a very sorry figure; obviously not a threat to the national security of the US. But I doubt that you'd get many high-profile celebs supporting the cause of a dope-smoking hacker, when so many problems are caused by hacking around the world.
 
eburacum said:
Having said that I have every sympathy for McKinnon, who is a very sorry figure; obviously not a threat to the national security of the US. But I doubt that you'd get many high-profile celebs supporting the cause of a dope-smoking hacker, when so many problems are caused by hacking around the world.

Yeah, the celebs are too busy defending a convicted child molester. :evil:
 
Hacker's extradition put on hold

Home Secretary Alan Johnson has said he will study new medical evidence before approving the extradition to the US of computer hacker Gary McKinnon.

He said he had "stopped the clock" on proceedings to give Mr McKinnon's lawyers time to appeal in Europe.

Earlier this month the 43-year-old, who has Asperger's syndrome, was denied an appeal at the UK Supreme Court.

Mr McKinnon is accused of breaking into the US's military computer system but says he was just seeking UFO evidence.

Mr Johnson said he would examine the new medical evidence "very carefully".

He also said he wanted to give Mr McKinnon's lawyers time to examine medical reports and make legal representations to the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg.

Mr McKinnon, of Wood Green, north London, faces 60 years in prison if convicted in the US.

"We have stopped the clock ticking on the representation to the European Court because new medical evidence has been provided," Mr Johnson said.

"There are two issues upon which Gary McKinnon's legal advisors have argued: the first is that the Director of Public Prosecutions should have tried him in this country."

Mr McKinnon's supporters have campaigned for him to be put on trial in the UK on charges of computer misuse.

Mr Johnson has also been pressured to delay proceedings further until an inquiry into the US-UK extradition treaty had been carried out by the Commons Home Affairs Select Committee.

Critics of the treaty say it does not treat US and British citizens equally.

Mr Johnson said the High Court had already dismissed applications for him to be tried in the UK, but added: "I have to ensure that his Article 3 human rights are being respected.

"It's that new medical evidence that I will be looking at very carefully".

Mr McKinnon's MP David Burrowes, who represents Enfield Southgate, has described the new medical evidence as "compelling".

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/8327179.stm
 
It seems to me that Johnson doesn't want to grant extradition BUT equally wants to pass the buck so as not to personally piss off the US.

Perhaps the US only want him on US soil becasue he DID see something on his cyber wanders and the CIA don't want Brit cops squeezing UFO secrets out of him....I should SO be a tabloid hack.
 
Garry Mac

We should keep McKinnon here in UK, stuff the so called special relationship, Bliar and Bush fouled that one up good and proper, and besides we owe the Septics nothing at all, we,ve paid our debts in full in blood and treasure, Stuff 'em (their Government I mean, not the people) [ Tea and Digestives will be served to the men in black when they call]. ;) :lol: :lol:
 
i recall hearing on a dubious youtube video that Gary Mkcinnon had uncovered a list of "extra terrestrial officials" in his quest to find the truth. Does anyone know if he did find ANYTHING out?
 
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