Jordan insists it will not use torture evidence for Qatada
Home Office minister in Amman for talks on deporting 'Bin Laden's ambassador in Europe'
Wednesday 15 February 2012
Latest in Home News
Related articles
On Facebook
From the blogs
What can parents do to protect their children online?
Paul Woodward recently hit the headlines for speaking out against parents who allow their children t...
Palestinian hunger strike comes to an end but the status quo is not sustainable
Hundreds of Palestinian prisoners, being held without being charge and without trial by the Israeli ...
RadFem2012: Excluding on the basis of gender
As someone who is interested in feminism as a movement, I was pleased to find out about RadFem2012 -...
Chelsea Flower Show 2012: Inside Diarmuid Gavin’s magic pyramid
You've got to love Diarmuid Gavin. Whatever he does, it's usually bigger, bolder and madder than any...
The Jordanian government insisted last night that the extremist cleric Abu Qatada would receive a fair trial if he was deported back to his native country to face terrorism charges.
The assurance came as the Home Office minister, James Brokenshire, arrived in Amman for talks about Qatada's fate. The radical preacher, once described by a judge as Osama bin Laden's ambassador in Europe, was freed from a high-security prison on Monday evening after an immigration judge granted him bail.
That followed a ruling by the European Court of Human Rights that he should not be deported to Jordan because he risks being tried on evidence obtained by torture. Qatada is living in north London under strict bail terms as Britain works to secure assurances that he will not face such evidence if he is returned.
Jordan's Legislative Affairs Minister, Ayman Odeh, told Mr Brokenshire that his government had passed legislation last September preventing such evidence being used. "Any evidence obtained from torture or the threat of torture should not be admissible before the courts in Jordan," Mr Odeh told Sky News. "We are confident that once we have the chance to make these statements through the diplomatic channels to the relevant court, they will be taken into consideration."
Officials in Amman have signalled that they themselves may challenge the decision by the European Court of Human Rights.
The talks were held as Qatada spent his first full day out of prison, having been released from Long Larton jail in Worcestershire. A control order prohibits him from leaving his house for more than one hour twice a day, and he has been fitted with an electronic tag. He has also been banned from meeting 27 named people, using the internet or a mobile phone, publishing any form of statement, attending a mosque or leading prayers.
These conditions will be lifted after three months if Britain cannot demonstrate it is making headway in its attempts to deport Qatada, who spent six-and-a-half years in prison fighting his removal before being released on Monday night.
Friends of Qatada have said he expects to be deported within seven days, it was reported yesterday, adding he would accept removal if Jordan's King promises he will not be tortured. His mother, Aisha Othman, who lives in Jordan, has also urged him to return.
- 1 Double trouble at JP Morgan: trader's losses could exceed $7bn
- 2 Brazil rocked by abortion for 9-year-old rape victim
- 3 News in pictures
- 4 In pictures: The bewildering face of China
- 5 Parents 'killed daughter by forcing bag into her mouth'
- 6 Ten adverts that shocked the world
- 7 Mark Zuckerberg loses friends on Wall Street as regulators probe $19bn slump
- 8 Christine Lagarde: Time is running out for Osborne's Plan A
- 9 Manal al-Sharif: 'They just messed with the wrong woman'
- 10 The Bain of Mitt Romney's life?
- 1 Double trouble at JP Morgan: trader's losses could exceed $7bn
- 2 Romain Amalfitano is latest French connection for Newcastle
- 3 Brazil rocked by abortion for 9-year-old rape victim
- 4 Portugal 'sells' Ronaldo to Spain in £160m deal on national debt
- 5 Tony Blair and George Bush's phone conversation a week before Iraq invasion 'must be released'
- 6 Forgotten Authors: No 8: William Sansom
- 7 Manal al-Sharif: 'They just messed with the wrong woman'
- 8 Tory MPs 'gagged' welfare-to-work whistleblowers
- 9 Coke reveals its secret: It may need to carry a cancer warning
- 10 French in uproar over oral sex anti-smoking posters
Experience the Heineken Hub
Get free wi-fi and exclusive i content while you enjoy a tasty pint of Heineken at participating pubs.
Can you imagine a career in teaching?
Be inspired to teach - let real teachers show you how rewarding the job can be.
Playing a game-changing role during the Games
Cisco is providing the solutions for London 2012's complex IT needs.
Enter the latest Independent competitions
Win anything from gadgets to five-star holidays on our competitions and offers page.
Business videos from commercial thought leaders
Watch the best in the business world give their insights into the world of business.
Career Services
Day In a Page
Grace Dent
Mike Sheridan: Confessions of an Ofsted inspector
The Bain of Romney's life?



Comments