US says it has right to kidnap British citizens.....

[madrchsod]

"AMERICA has told Britain that it can “kidnap” British citizens if they are wanted for crimes in the United States".

"A senior lawyer for the American government has told the Court of Appeal in London that kidnapping foreign citizens is permissible under American law because the US Supreme Court has sanctioned it.....

There was concern this weekend from Patrick Mercer, the Tory MP, who said: “The very idea of kidnapping is repugnant to us and we must handle these cases with extreme caution and a thorough understanding of the implications in American law"...


Shami Chakrabarti, director of the human rights group Liberty, said: “This law may date back to bounty hunting days, but they should sort it out if they claim to be a civilised nation.”

The US Justice Department declined to comment".


http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/us_and_americas/article2982640.ece
US says it has right to kidnap British citizens - Times Online

[burrowowl]

1. Hopefully the U$ of A

will get its comeuppance!
However, this will hurt us very much. Not the Rich, but us.
We have to take the $ out of U$ of A.

[Kutjara]

2. Never mind "a thorough understanding of...

...the implications in American law." Kidnapping is a crime under British law, and it is British law that has jurisdiction over what happens in Britain. American law is irrelevant. Anyone kidnapping someone in Britain should be arrested, charged, tried, prosecuted, and thrown in jail for twenty years or so. End of story.

If members of the British government are complicit in these acts, they should be tossed in jail too.

[Prophet 451]

4. Agreed n/t

[Sen. Walter Sobchak]

3. okay lets say... "Italy says it has right to kidnap US citizens"

Why do I see the Italians sending a Carabinieri GIS squad to snatch the CIA rendition suspects being frowned upon?

[Prophet 451]

5. Bullshit

I'm aware that the US regards itself as the world's policeman and tends to assume that the entire world runs by US law but kidnapping British citizens is illegal, punishable by up to twenty years in the big house. If you have good reason to suspect them of a crime, fine, that's what we have extradition treaties for.

[havocmom]

6. Well then, can the rest of the world start grabbing US war criminals?

Corporate criminals? Polluters? It might be a start...

[RC]

7. Sounds good to me. Maybe in a generation or two

this country can be recivilized again.

[Demeter]

10. Oh, YES! PLEASE! Think of the Savings of Federal Pensions!

Not to mention the need for far fewer Secret Service details.

[Briar]

8. And don't forget

that the extradition treaty Blunkett signed is unbalanced. British citizens can be more or less at the whim of American prosecutors, on terms no American court would countenance. Kidnapping isn't necessary. It's pure swagger.

[samsingh]

9. don't the british have the balls to stand up to the US

[Demeter]

11. They Were Around Here Somewhere.....