Abuse of human and civil rights by European legal associations

April 10, 2009 by Infowars Ireland

Private Eye
Issue 3-16 April 2009

In a further blow against justice, EU leaders and MEPs ignored widespread warnings of abuse of human and civil rights by European legal associations when they endorsed a proposal for trials in absentia, the eurosceptic think-tank Open Europe has revealed.
The decision to allow all suspects to be tried and convicted without their knowledge was approved by Jack Straw, the UK justice secretary, and his EU counterparts last year, even though the proposal contravenes basic human rights to a fair trial and undermines every single British legal safeguard as far back as the 1679 Habeas Corpus Act.
Shamefully the British government also pushed through the European Arrest Warrant without proper debate (Eyes passim), resulting in such controversial extradition cases as that of British student Andrew Symeou (Eye 1223) who faces highly contentious manslaughter charges in Greece.
The civil liberties organisation Statewatch has even obtained evidence of an extradition demanded over the theft of two tyres. A British magistrate has also warned against two other framework decisions, which would allow even those convicted of a parking offence abroad to be extradited, with the risk of having their property confiscated at home.

Not that this will concern the European Council, which will give its final “approval” in three months’ time, or the commission – or even those cocooned MEPs who are elected to represent EU taxpayers but seem to turn a blind eye to everything except their next pay cheque.