MPs appeal to Home Secretary over McKinnon

The future of Gary McKinnon, the man accused of hacking into US military computers, hangs in the balance on Friday as the government decides whether or not to extradite him.

A group of MPs has written to Home Secretary Alan Johnson to ask him to review the case of McKinnon, who has Asperger's Syndrome.

The Home Affairs Select Committee, headed by Keith Vaz MP, argues that McKinnon's mental health is in a precarious state and that sending him to stand trial in the US could cause him further damage.

Human rights campaigners have also called for McKinnon's extradition to be stopped and for a review of the UK's extradition treaty with the US, which critics have condemned as one-sided.

Isabella Sankey, director of Policy for Liberty, said: "No one should be parcelled off to Europe, the US or anywhere else in the world without good reason. If a crime is thought to have been committed in the UK then a British court should be allowed to refuse extradition."

Opinion: McKinnon's extradition will help no one

Janis Sharp, McKinnon's mother, has been particularly critical of the extradition treaty that could yet see her son sent to the US to face trial. Campaigners have also set up a Free Gary McKinnon website.

The Home Affairs Committee also criticised the treaty, saying that it demonstrates a "lack of equality".

However, the government has denied that the treaty is one-sided and rejected calls for a review.


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