Letter: Race and the police

Sir: It is right that our national newspapers have dedicated much of their recent reporting to the tragic murder of Stephen Lawrence and the implications that this case must have for tackling racial discrimination both within public institutions and society as a whole.

However, at this crucial juncture it concerns me deeply that the unwarranted seizure of the London lawyer to the five Britons on trial in the Yemen has received cursory attention in the press.

One cannot help but compare the Yemeni case to the furore and media frenzy that surrounded the trial of "our" two British nurses in Saudi Arabia, faced with the death penalty and also questioned under "coercive" circumstances. There is little doubt that there has been a difference between official responses, media coverage, and consequently public outcry in these two cases.

SUZY NICHOLS

London SW1