Syed Talha Ahsan is a British poet and translator. He is winner of the Platinum and Bronze Koestler Awards 2012 for his poetry. He was arrested at his family home in London, UK on 19 July 2006 in response to a request from the United States under the US–UK Extradition Act 2003, and detained without trial or charge over 6 years before his extradition to the United States on 5 October 2012. He was accused of associations with an allegedly terrorism-related Islamic news media website and London-based publishing house from 1997 to 2004 about Bosnia, the Chechen Independence War and Afghanistan Islamic Emirate government. On 10 December 2013, in U.S. District Court in New Haven, Connecticut he entered into a

plea bargain A plea bargain (also plea agreement or plea deal) is an agreement in criminal law proceedings, whereby the prosecutor provides a concession to the defendant in exchange for a plea of guilt or '' nolo contendere.'' This may mean that the defendan ...

with the US Government prosecutor to charges of conspiracy to provide and providing

material support In United States law, providing material support for terrorism is a crime prohibited by the USA PATRIOT Act and codified in title 18 of the United States Code, section2339Aan2339B It applies primarily to groups designated as terrorists by the St ...

for militants in Chechnya and Afghanistan. All other charges were dismissed.Still no justice as Babar Ahmad and Talha Ahsan change pleas
/ref>Babar Ahmad and Talha Ahsan in plea bargain
/ref> The length of Talha's detention without trial or charge is among the longest in British legal history. He is also the translator of a tenth-century Arabic poem, "Above the Dust", by Syrian Abu Firas Al-Hamdani, on his captivity in Byzantium.The impossible injustice of Talha Ahsan's extradition and detention
/ref> The Talha Ahsan extradition case raised controversy due to comparison with the treatment of

Gary McKinnon Gary McKinnon (born 10 February 1966) is a Scottish systems administrator and hacker who was accused in 2002 of perpetrating the "biggest military computer hack of all time", although McKinnon himself states that he was merely looking for evi ...

, whose extradition – which was expected to be 10 days after Ahsan's – was stalled after a medical diagnosis of

Asperger syndrome Asperger syndrome (AS), also known as Asperger's, is a former neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by significant difficulties in Interpersonal relationship, social interaction and nonverbal communication, along with restricted and re ...

and associative risks, similar to a diagnosis given to Ahsan. This has led to accusations from mainstream UK media, human rights NGOs and religious groups of a racist double standard within Conservative Home Secretary

Theresa May Theresa Mary May, Lady May (; née Brasier; born 1 October 1956) is a British politician who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and Leader of the Conservative Party from 2016 to 2019. She previously served in David Cameron's cab ...

's application of the law.JUST West Yorkshire
"Letter to Theresa May Regarding Double Standards of Extradition Rules"
/ref>SAC
"May Shows Contempt For Human Rights, Justice And Muslims"
16 October 2012MC
"Muslim Council delighted for McKinnon and his family. Why double standard for Babar Ahmad & Talha Ahsan?"
17 October 2012 After being detained without trial for six years, with appeals to the

European Court of Human Rights The European Court of Human Rights (ECHR or ECtHR), also known as the Strasbourg Court, is an international court of the Council of Europe which interprets the European Convention on Human Rights. The court hears applications alleging that a ...

, the

House of Lords The House of Lords, also known as the House of Peers, is the Bicameralism, upper house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Membership is by Life peer, appointment, Hereditary peer, heredity or Lords Spiritual, official function. Like the ...

and the

UK High Court The High Court of Justice in London, known properly as His Majesty's High Court of Justice in England, together with the Court of Appeal of England and Wales, Court of Appeal and the Crown Court, are the Courts of England and Wales, Senior Cou ...

, Ahsan was extradited from the UK to the US on 5 October 2012, where he initially pleaded not guilty to all charges against him at a federal district court hearing in New Haven, Connecticut. He was held while awaiting trial in

solitary confinement Solitary confinement is a form of imprisonment in which the inmate lives in a single cell with little or no meaningful contact with other people. A prison may enforce stricter measures to control contraband on a solitary prisoner and use additi ...

at the

Northern Correctional Institution Northern Correctional Institution (NCI) was a high-security state prison in Somers, in the northern part of the U.S. state of Connecticut. Until its closure, the prison housed the state's male convicts serving long sentences for violent crimes; ...

, a Supermax state prison in

Somers, Connecticut Somers is a town in Tolland County, Connecticut. The population was 10,255 at the 2020 census. The town center is listed by the U.S. Census Bureau as a census-designated place (CDP). In 2007, ''Money Magazine'' listed Somers 53rd on its "100 Bes ...

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

. His US trial proceedings began in October 2013. On 10 December 2013, he changed his plea to guilty to the charge of providing material support to terrorists. An international campaign led by Talha's brother Hamja Ahsan was formed to halt his extradition to the US and have him tried in the UK on the basis that this is where he was present during the period of the allegation. This was supported by a wide coalition of figures including

Noam Chomsky Avram Noam Chomsky (born December 7, 1928) is an American public intellectual: a linguist, philosopher, cognitive scientist, historian, social critic, and political activist. Sometimes called "the father of modern linguistics", Chomsky is ...

Robert Hillary King Robert Hillary King (born May 30, 1942), also known as Robert King Wilkerson, is an American known as one of the Angola Three, former prisoners who were held at Louisiana State Penitentiary in solitary confinement for decades after being convicte ...

(

Angola Three The Angola Three are three African-American former prison inmates (Robert Hillary King, Albert Woodfox, and Herman Wallace) who were held for decades in solitary confinement while imprisoned at Louisiana State Penitentiary (also known as Angol ...

), A. L. Kennedy,

Stop the War The Stop the War Coalition (StWC), informally known simply as Stop the War, is a British group established on 21 September 2001, shortly after the September 11 attacks, to campaign against what it believes are unjust wars. The Coalition has c ...

Bruce Kent Bruce Kent (22 June 1929 – 8 June 2022) was a British Roman Catholic priest who became a political activist in the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament, and held various leadership positions in the organisation. Early life Born on 22 June 1929 ...

Plaid Cymru Plaid Cymru ( ; ; officially Plaid Cymru – the Party of Wales, often referred to simply as Plaid) is a centre-left to left-wing, Welsh nationalist political party in Wales, committed to Welsh independence from the United Kingdom. Plaid wa ...

, his MP and Labour cabinet member

Sadiq Khan Sadiq Aman Khan (; born 8 October 1970) is a British politician serving as Mayor of London since 2016. He was previously Member of Parliament (MP) for Tooting from 2005 until 2016. A member of the Labour Party, Khan is on the party's sof ...

Caroline Lucas Caroline Patricia Lucas (born 9 December 1960) is a British politician who has twice led the Green Party of England and Wales and has been the Member of Parliament (MP) for Brighton Pavilion since the 2010 general election. She was re-elected ...

MP,

Gerry Conlon Gerard Patrick "Gerry" Conlon (1 March 1954 – 21 June 2014) was an Irish man known for being one of the Guildford Four who spent 15 years in prison after being wrongly convicted of being a Provisional IRA bomber. Biography Gerard Conlon was ...

, the

Muslim Council of Britain The Muslim Council of Britain (MCB) is a national umbrella body with over 500 mosques and educational and charitable associations affiliated to it. It includes national, regional, local, and specialist Muslim organisations and institutions from ...

, actor

Riz Ahmed Rizwan Ahmed (; ; born ) is a British actor and rapper. As an actor, he has won an Emmy Award and has received nominations for a Golden Globe and three British Independent Film Awards, and as a rapper he has won an Academy Award for the short ...

, and former extradited Britons David Bermingham and Gary Mulgrew of the

NatWest Three The NatWest Three, also known as the Enron Three, are three British businessmen – Giles Darby, David Bermingham and Gary Mulgrew. In 2002 they were indicted in Houston, Texas on seven counts of wire fraud against their former employer Greenwich ...

. The family-run campaign continues around issues of solitary confinement and reforming extradition law, with the aim of repatriating Talha to the UK. The campaign also curates events around prison literature, especially poetry. The Free Talha Ahsan family campaign was short-listed for a

Liberty Liberty is the ability to do as one pleases, or a right or immunity enjoyed by prescription or by grant (i.e. privilege). It is a synonym for the word freedom. In modern politics, liberty is understood as the state of being free within society fr ...

Human Rights Award in 2013, described as a "creative and innovative campaign" and in its use of art, poetry, film and music to bring the issue of summary extradition to wider public and political attention described as "inspiring".

Case background

Ahsan was a co-defendant with another British citizen

Babar Ahmad Babar Ahmad ( ur, بابر احمد; born London, England, May 1974) is a British Muslim of Pakistani descent who spent eight years in prison without trial in the United Kingdom from 2004 to 2012 fighting extradition to the United States. The ...

, in a high-profile case at the

, appealing their extraditions to the US. They are accused by the US of terrorism-related offences arising from alleged involvement with a series of websites from the period of 1997 to 2004. One of the sites was for a short period located on a server within the United States. As a result of a UK parliamentary petition raising over 140,000 signatures the case sparked a discussion in the House of Commons among Members of Parliament late in 2011.Brittain, Victori
"The terror of Babar Ahmad"
"

The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers ''The Observer'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the Gu ...

", 2 Dec 2011, retrieved 16 May 2012 In a BBC interview aired on 5 April 2012

Evan Kohlmann Evan F. Kohlmann (born 1979) is an American terrorism consultant who has worked for the FBI and other governmental organizations.European Court of Human Rights
"Case of Babar Ahmad and others versus the United Kingdom"
Strasbourg – via BAILII. Retrieved 25 May 2012 Syed Talha Ahsan denied any wrongdoing and asked to be tried in the United Kingdom."The official campaign site for Syed Talha Ahsan"
London, accessed 31 May 2012 A winner of the prestigious Koestler Award for his poem "Grieving", Talha stands accused of charges described by

as shallow and evasive.

Biography

Early life and education

Syed Talha Ahsan was born in

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

in 1979. He was educated at

Dulwich College Dulwich College is a 2–19 independent, day and boarding school for boys in Dulwich, London, England. As a public school, it began as the College of God's Gift, founded in 1619 by Elizabethan actor Edward Alleyn, with the original purpose of ...

Dulwich Dulwich (; ) is an area in south London, England. The settlement is mostly in the London Borough of Southwark, with parts in the London Borough of Lambeth, and consists of Dulwich Village, East Dulwich, West Dulwich, and the Southwark half of ...

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and North ...

.Abu Hamza extradition to US 'is lawful' – Channel 4 News
/ref> Syed Talha Ahsan has a

first class honours degree The British undergraduate degree classification system is a grading structure for undergraduate degrees or bachelor's degrees and integrated master's degrees in the United Kingdom. The system has been applied (sometimes with significant variati ...

in Arabic from

SOAS, University of London SOAS University of London (; the School of Oriental and African Studies) is a public research university in London, England, and a member institution of the federal University of London. Founded in 1916, SOAS is located in the Bloomsbury are ...

. As of 2017/18, Talha is studying for a master's degree in history at SOAS, University of London. After his arrest, he was diagnosed with

Asperger's syndrome Asperger syndrome (AS), also known as Asperger's, is a former neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by significant difficulties in social interaction and nonverbal communication, along with restricted and repetitive patterns of behav ...

(a form of

autism The autism spectrum, often referred to as just autism or in the context of a professional diagnosis autism spectrum disorder (ASD) or autism spectrum condition (ASC), is a neurodevelopmental condition (or conditions) characterized by difficulti ...

Prior to detention

At the time of his arrest, Syed Talha Ahsan intended to become a

librarian A librarian is a person who works professionally in a library providing access to information, and sometimes social or technical programming, or instruction on information literacy to users. The role of the librarian has changed much over time, ...

. Since his arrest he has been held in the UK in high security prisons without charge or trial and refused bail for over five years. While being incarcerated he continues to write highly praised poetry.Kennedy, A
"Solitary confinement is no place for a poet"
"

", London, 9 May 2012, retrieved 16 May 2012 Early in 2006, the

Metropolitan Police Service The Metropolitan Police Service (MPS), formerly and still commonly known as the Metropolitan Police (and informally as the Met Police, the Met, Scotland Yard, or the Yard), is the territorial police force responsible for law enforcement and ...

searched his family home under a warrant issued under the

Crime (International Co-operation) Act 2003 The Crime (International Co-operation) Act 2003 (c.32) is an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom The Parliament of the United Kingdom is the supreme legislative body of the United Kingdom, the Crown Dependencies and the Britis ...

and the

Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984 The Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984 (PACE) (1984 c. 60) is an Act of Parliament which instituted a legislative framework for the powers of police officers in England and Wales to combat crime, and provided codes of practice for the exercise ...

. In July 2006, he was arrested in the UK under a provisional warrant and extradition proceedings commenced under the

Extradition Act 2003 The Extradition Act 2003 ( c.41) is an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom which regulates extradition requests by and to the United Kingdom. The Act came into force on 1 January 2004. It transposed the European Arrest Warrant framework ...

. Hearings in the UK to determine his suitability for extradition began in November 2006. On 14 June 2007 the UK Secretary of State ordered Syed Talha Ahsan's extradition.England and Wales High Cour
"Judgement on Syed Talha Ahsan"
London, 10 April 2008, retrieved 16 May 2012 Consequently, an appeal was lodged by him to the UK High Court. It was refused on 10 April 2008. After his appeal to the House of Lords was rejected in May 2009 he then appealed to the

in Strasbourg. On 10 April 2012 the European Court approved his extradition and from that date he had 3 months in which to appeal the ruling to the Grand Chamber of the European Court of Human Rights.

US indictment

The US indictment against Syed Talha Ahsan was lodged on 28 June 2006.The United States District Cour
"Grand Jury Indictment of Syed Talha Ahasan"
District of Connecticut, 28 June 2006, retrieved 16 May 2012 In sum, it alleges that between 1997 and 2004 he, together with Babar Ahmad and other persons known and unknown: (i) conspired to provide material support to terrorists, knowing or intending that such support was to be used in furtherance of a conspiracy to kill, kidnap maim or injure persons or damage property in a foreign country and or to murder and attempt to murder US nationals abroad; (ii) provided and aided and abetted others to provide material support to terrorists, knowing or intending that such support would be used in furtherance of a conspiracy to kill, kidnap, maim or injure persons or damage property in a foreign country and or attempt to murder US nationals abroad; and (iii) conspired to kill, kidnap maim or injure persons or damage property in a foreign country. The US indictment goes on to allege that one of the means used by the co-conspirators to further the alleged criminal acts was an entity known as

Azzam Publications A publishing house based in London, United Kingdom, Azzam Publications has been accused by the authorities of being ''"part of a conspiracy to Providing material support for terrorism, provide material support and communications links to people enga ...

, through which they operated a series of pro-jihad websites based in the United States that were specifically designed to incite readers to violent jihad and to provide material support to terrorist related entities including the

Taliban The Taliban (; ps, طالبان, ṭālibān, lit=students or 'seekers'), which also refers to itself by its state (polity), state name, the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, is a Deobandi Islamic fundamentalism, Islamic fundamentalist, m ...

, the Chechen

Mujahideen ''Mujahideen'', or ''Mujahidin'' ( ar, مُجَاهِدِين, mujāhidīn), is the plural form of ''mujahid'' ( ar, مجاهد, mujāhid, strugglers or strivers or justice, right conduct, Godly rule, etc. doers of jihād), an Arabic term th ...

and

Al Qaeda Al-Qaeda (; , ) is an Islamic extremist organization composed of Salafist jihadists. Its members are mostly composed of Arabs, but also include other peoples. Al-Qaeda has mounted attacks on civilian and military targets in various countr ...

US extradition request

Syed Talha Ahsan was arrested at home on 19 July 2006 in response to an extradition request from the US under the Extradition Act 2003. He is accused in the US of terrorism-related offences arising out of his alleged involvement over the period 1997–2004 with a series of websites, hosted on a server in the United States. The key US case against Syed Talha Ahsan is based on evidence obtained by the Metropolitan Police during raids in London. After his extradition was approved by the district court it was sent to the Secretary of State for ratification in 2007 and only then was he granted assurances from the US government that he would not go to Guantanamo Bay nor be treated as an enemy combatant. Nonetheless, if extradited to the US and convicted it has been suggested that he could face a lifelong sentence without parole in a US high security prison.

Syed Talha Ahsan's relationship to Babar Ahmad

Syed Talha Ahsan's case is closely related to the case of

. As stated above, the Indictment against Syed Talha Ahsan alleges that the terrorist offences that he is accused of in the US were committed between 1997 and 2004 together with Babar Ahmad and others (known and unknown). Babar Ahmad was arrested in the UK on the authority of a provisional warrant and extradition proceedings in respect to him were commenced in 2004. Babar Ahmad's extradition was ordered in November 2005. His appeals to the High Court and the House of Lords were dismissed in 2006. Babar Ahmad appealed to the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg against his extradition. On 12 June 2007 the Strasbourg court indicated to the government of the United Kingdom that Ahmad could not be extradited until it had given due consideration to the matter. Although Syed Talha Ahsan was arrested two years later than Babar Ahmad, their cases were linked (together with four others) in a joint appeal to the European Court of Human Rights against their extradition to the US.

Appeals in the UK against extradition to the US

Syed Talha Ahsan appealed the decision to extradite him to the US to the powers that be in the UK. In 2007 the Secretary of State made an order for his extradition. Syed Talha Ahsan brought a claim for a judicial review of what was said to be a decision of the Director of Public Prosecution not to discuss and consider with the prosecuting authorities in the US whether he should be tried in the United Kingdom for the crimes in respect of which his extradition was sought. His statutory appeal to the High Court of England and Wales was rejected together with his claim for a judicial review against the DPS in 2008.Shaid, Omar & Syed, Rizwa
"Extradition Crisis: the case of Talha Ahsan"
"

The Huffington Post ''HuffPost'' (formerly ''The Huffington Post'' until 2017 and sometimes abbreviated ''HuffPo'') is an American progressive news website, with localized and international editions. The site offers news, satire, blogs, and original content, and ...

", 27 July 2011 retrieved 15 May 2012 His appeal to the House of Lords was rejected in May 2009.

Appeal to the European Court of Human Rights

After exhausting the possibilities for legal redress in the UK courts, Syed Talha Ahsan appealed to the European Court of Human Rights together with five other men, three of whom are also British citizens: Babar Ahmad, Mustafa Kamal ( Abu Hamza al Masri), Haroon Aswat, Adel Abdul Bary (an Egyptian citizen), and Khaled Al-Fawwaz, (a Saudi Arabian citizen). On 10 April 2012 the European Court of Human Rights published its decision to allow the extradition of the five men from Britain to the US to face terrorism charges, in spite of the evidence presented to the Court about the US prison system's treatment of terrorism cases in the

United States Penitentiary, Florence ADX The United States Penitentiary, Florence Administrative Maximum Facility (USP Florence ADMAX), commonly known as ADX Florence, is an American federal prison in Fremont County near Florence, Colorado. It is operated by the Federal Bureau of Pris ...

, in particular Muslims and psychologically disturbed prisoners, and the likelihood that if convicted the men would be placed under the controversial regime of solitary confinement not used in the UK. The five men had 3 months in which to appeal the European Court of Human Rights' ruling by requesting a referral to the Grand Chamber of the European Court of Human Rights. The current UK Prime Minister, David Cameron (Conservative Party) and his Home Secretary Theresa May have welcomed the European Court of Human Rights' decision but the Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg (Liberal Democrat party) has expressed concern about the UK/US extradition treaty (2003) and has suggested that extradition cases such as Syed Talha Ahsan should be heard in the UK.

Extradition to the U.S.

The legal extradition took place on the evening of 5 October 2012, when Syed Talha Ahsan was taken from

HM Prison Long Lartin HM Prison Long Lartin is a Category A men's prison, located in the village of South Littleton (near Evesham) in the Wychavon district in Worcestershire, England. It is operated by His Majesty's Prison Service. History Long Lartin was opened a ...

, to

RAF Mildenhall Royal Air Force Mildenhall or RAF Mildenhall is a Royal Air Force (RAF) station located near Mildenhall in Suffolk, England. Despite its status as a Royal Air Force station, it primarily supports United States Air Force (USAF) operations, and ...

Suffolk Suffolk () is a ceremonial county of England in East Anglia. It borders Norfolk to the north, Cambridgeshire to the west and Essex to the south; the North Sea lies to the east. The county town is Ipswich; other important towns include Lowes ...

, which is used by the

US Air Force The United States Air Force (USAF) is the air service branch of the United States Armed Forces, and is one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. Originally created on 1 August 1907, as a part of the United States Army Signal ...

, from where he, Babar Ahmad and the three other suspects also wanted for extradition by the American authorities, were placed into the physical custody of the awaiting

United States Marshals The United States Marshals Service (USMS) is a Federal law enforcement in the United States, federal law enforcement agency in the United States. The USMS is a Government agency, bureau within the United States Department of Justice, U.S. Depa ...

. They landed in

Connecticut Connecticut () is the southernmost state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, New York to the west, and Long Island Sound to the south. Its cap ...

on the morning of 6 October.

Solitary confinement in the United States

The case is a legal landmark because the European Court of Human Rights 10 April ruling stated that there would be no violation of Article 3 of the European Convention of Human Rights as a result of conditions at the

nor as a result of the length of the possible sentence.SAC
"Strasbourg ruling on extradition shocking"
" SACC", Edinburgh, 10 April 2012, retrieved 16 May 2012 In opposition to the ruling, Juan Méndez, the UN Special Rapporteur on Torture, has stated that prolonged

is unacceptable. "Long-term solitary confinement in any form is cruel and inhuman and should be recognised as a violation of the UN's Universal Declaration of Human Rights".

US trial and conviction

On 6 October 2012, Talha Ahsan pleaded not guilty of conspiracy to support terrorists in

Afghanistan Afghanistan, officially the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan,; prs, امارت اسلامی افغانستان is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central Asia and South Asia. Referred to as the Heart of Asia, it is bordere ...

and the Russian region of

Chechnya Chechnya ( rus, Чечня́, Chechnyá, p=tɕɪtɕˈnʲa; ce, Нохчийчоь, Noxçiyçö), officially the Chechen Republic,; ce, Нохчийн Республика, Noxçiyn Respublika is a republic of Russia. It is situated in the ...

in a Connecticut court. Later on 10 December 2013, in U.S. District Court in New Haven, Connecticut, he entered into a

plea-bargain A plea bargain (also plea agreement or plea deal) is an agreement in criminal law proceedings, whereby the prosecutor provides a concession to the defendant in exchange for a plea of guilt or ''nolo contendere.'' This may mean that the defendant ...

with the US Government prosector to charges of conspiracy to provide and providing material support for militants in Chechnya & Afghanistan. All other charges were dismissed.House of Commons - Home Affairs Committee: Written evidence submitted by David Bermingham
/ref> He was sentenced to 12.5 years in prison which was time already served.

UK/US extradition treaty

The extradition treaty (2003) between Britain and the US, which came into effect in Britain at the start of 2004, allows people to be extradited to the US without any requirement for prima facie evidence to be presented in a British Court. The European Court of Human Rights ruling in the case of Syed Talha Ahsan and Babar Ahmad is a highly significant precedent and it has been reported as a step towards making extradition from the UK to the US easier in general. In 2011 as a result of the huge response of over 140,000 signatures to an official government e- petition supporting the Babar Ahmad campaign against extradition the cases of Babar Ahmad, Syed Talha Ahsan and others were discussed in the House of Commons at Westminster parliament Subsequent to the parliamentary debate the BBC won permission from the High Court to televise an interview with Babar Ahmad in which he claimed that the extradition treaty is being used by the government of the United Kingdom to enable it to outsource its justice system to the United States. In addition, Syed Talha Ahsan's lawyer

Gareth Peirce Gareth Peirce (born Jean Margaret Webb; March 1940) is a British solicitor and human rights activist. She has worked on a number of high-profile cases involving allegations of human rights injustices. Her work with Gerry Conlon and the Guildfo ...

has controversially alluded to the apparent role that the Extradition treaty may play in US/UK diplomacy: Other recent high-profile cases of British citizens subject to the UK

include:

;

Richard O'Dwyer Richard O'Dwyer (born 5 May 1988) is a British entrepreneur & computer programmer who created the TVShack.net search engine while a student at Sheffield Hallam University. In May 2011, the U.S. Justice Department sought to extradite O'Dwyer ...

; Giles Darby, David Bermingham and Gary Mulgrew (the

); and businessman

Christopher Tappin Christopher Harold Tappin (born November 1946) is a British businessman who is best known for selling weapons parts to Iran in violation of international sanctions and jailed for 33 months in January 2013. Accusation In 2005, U.S. Immigrati ...

Asperger's syndrome

Syed Talha Ahsan has Asperger's syndrome which has caused him a history of difficulties since childhood. According to his lawyer,

, this condition would make it extremely difficult or impossible for him to cope with the shocking change to his circumstances that extradition to the US would involve. The Talha Ahsan extradition case raised controversy due to comparison with the treatment of

, whose extradition - which was expected to be 10 days after Ahsan's - was stalled after a medical diagnosis of

and associative risks, similar to a diagnosis given to Ahsan. This has led to accusations of double standards from mainstream UK media, Human Rights NGOs, Religious Organisations and Racial Equality Groups regarding the Home Secretary

's selective application of the law.

Poetry and the media

Syed Talha Ahsan's poetry has been acclaimed by various well-known authors, such as A. L. Kennedy. At the live poetry reading in Edinburgh in February 2011, (which can be viewed on

Vimeo Vimeo, Inc. () is an American video hosting, sharing, and services platform provider headquartered in New York City. Vimeo focuses on the delivery of high-definition video across a range of devices. Vimeo's business model is through software as ...

) a booklet of his poetry was jointly launched by the Muslim Women's Association of Edinburgh, Scotland Against Criminalising Communities and Radio Ramadan Edinburgh. In July 2011, an event at the

Islamic Human Rights Commission The Islamic Human Rights Commission (IHRC) is a non-profit organisation based in London. Its stated mission is to "work with different organisations from Muslim and non-Muslim backgrounds, to campaign for justice for all peoples regardless of ...

took place in London to mark the fifth anniversary of Syed Talha Ahsan's imprisonment with contributions from his lawyer

and veteran anti-war campaigner

. Actor Avaes Mohammed read a piece by Syed Talha Ahsan especially written for the occasion. On 21 February 2013, Ian Patel of

King's College London King's College London (informally King's or KCL) is a public research university located in London, England. King's was established by royal charter in 1829 under the patronage of King George IV and the Duke of Wellington. In 1836, King's ...

wrote a detailed piece in the ''

New Statesman The ''New Statesman'' is a British political and cultural magazine published in London. Founded as a weekly review of politics and literature on 12 April 1913, it was at first connected with Sidney and Beatrice Webb and other leading members ...

'' on The Impossible Injustice of Talha Ahsan's extradition and detention. In his article for the Independent on 17 October 2012, Jerome Taylor quoted Boris Johnson exclaiming that "To extradite a man diagnosed with Asperger syndrome to America for trial would have been extraordinarily cruel and inhumane." in response to the news that the Home Secretary Theresa May had overturned the extradition of

. Taylor poses the question in his headline 'Why do politicians, celebrities and the media flock to Gary McKinnon's cause but stay silent about the likes of Talha Ahsan from Tooting? and concludes with the damning statement that the British Legal system is host to appalling and unjustified double standards.

Extradition film

In April 2012, a documentary film titled Extradition about Talha Ahsan and his co-defendant in the extradition case Babar Ahmed was released, directed by independent British filmmaker Turab Shah. The film features interviews with Talha Ahsan's brother Hamja Ahsan, father Abu Ahsan, Babar father's Ashfaq Ahmad, their lawyer

and

. Talha poems "Extradition" and "This be the Answer" is read by poet and playwright Avaes Mohammad. Filmmaker

Ken Fero Ken Fero (born 1961) is a UK documentary filmmaker, political activist and co-founder of production company Migrant Media. Career Fero, born in Malta, is a filmmaker, activist and educator. His career began in the Fine Arts where he produced ex ...

has editorial input in the final cut. The film toured across the UK with a speakers and poetry tour organised by Talha brother's Hamja Ahsan. Speakers across the UK tour included

Phil Shiner Philip Joseph Shiner (born 25 December 1956) is a British former human rights solicitor. He was struck off the roll of solicitors in England and Wales in 2017 over misconduct relating to false abuse claims against British troops. He was Head o ...

Salma Yaqoob Salma Yaqoob (formally Jacob) (born 15 August 1971) is a British political activist and psychotherapist who served as the Leader of the Respect Party from 2005 until 2012, representing the party on Birmingham City Council. She led the Birming ...

Moazzam Begg Moazzam Begg ( ur, ; born 5 July 1968 in Sparkhill, Birmingham) is a British Pakistani who was held in extrajudicial detention by the US government in the Bagram Theater Internment Facility and the Guantanamo Bay detainment camp, in Cuba, for ...

, David Bermingham,

Andy Worthington Andy Worthington is a British historian, investigative journalist, and film director. He has published three books, two on Stonehenge and one on the war on terror, been published in numerous publications and directed documentary films. Artic ...

Rizwaan Sabir The Nottingham Two were a student (Rizwaan Sabir) and a staff member (Hicham Yezza) of the University of Nottingham arrested in May 2008 for suspected involvement with Islamic terrorism. The operation was codenamed Operation Minerva. University sta ...

Tam Dean Burn Tam Dean Burn (born 1958 in Leith, Scotland) is a Scottish actor who has played a wide range of roles on stage and screen. On television this includes multiple roles on long-running detective series ''Taggart'', youth sci-fi thriller '' Life For ...

Tariq Mehmood Brigadier Tariq Mehmood (8 Oct 1938 – 29 May 1989) was a Pakistani military officer of Pakistan Army. He was serving as the Commander of Pakistan Army's Special Service Group (SSG), when he died in an accident in 1989 due to malfunctioning ...

, Peter Kallu, Pete Weatherby QC, A. L. Kennedy and

Aamer Anwar Aamer Anwar (born 30 December 1967) is a Scottish political activist and lawyer of Pakistani background. He was an active participant in the Stop the War Coalition, and campaigned against the 31st G8 summit at Gleneagles. He has been a longst ...

. The film later broadcast internationally on Press TV and later put online in September 2012.Extradition Film www.extraditionfilm.com

References

External links

Arts Against Extraditions (AAE) are a group of artists, designers and illustrators campaigning to reform the USA-UK Extradition Act

Cageprisoners on Syed Talha Ahsan
* http://www.ihrc.org.uk * http://www.sacc.org.uk * http://freetalha.org {{DEFAULTSORT:Ahsan, Syed Talha 1979 births British Muslims British people imprisoned abroad European Court of Human Rights cases involving the United Kingdom Human rights abuses in the United Kingdom Living people People convicted on terrorism charges People extradited from the United Kingdom to the United States People with Asperger syndrome British people with disabilities