Dr. Nancy Murray interviewing British author Victoria Brittain on her new book Shadow Lives: The Forgotten Women in the War on Terror

Documentary film about the US supermax prison to which British citizens Babar Ahmed and Talha Ahsan were extradited in 2012.

What do you see when you read the name?  I often think, what goes through all of my friends' minds when they see that name splattered across their Twitter feed, their Facebooks (if they haven't blocked me yet!)?  To all of my friends and blog followers who read my article last year, thank you, but did you sign the petition to ask for Parliament to discuss his case?

Listen to this, one man’s description of his solitary confinement cell in the US.  Now imagine sitting in that cell during this period of the year. Even for those who are not Christians or practicing Christians, the holiday season can be an especially lonely and painful time to be caged in a solitary cell.  For those who are still in touch with friends and family on the outside, this period is a constant reminder of everything they’re missing – for example family dinners, vacations, or time off with friends or loved ones. For those who are not in contact with folks on the outside, the holiday season can symbolize the personal cost of their prolonged isolation. It’s the same day-in, day-out torture, but magnified, especially for those who imagine their friends or family on the outside celebrating or spending time together.

Talha Ahsan and Babar Ahmed were among those imprisoned without trial under the US-UK Extradition Act 2003 for six and eight years respectively, for alleged crimes committed in the UK. Whilst under arrest, Babar was subjected to torture by the Metropolitan Police. The four officers charged with the assault were acquitted, and no apology made despite the Police admitting full liability.

After four years of deliberation, the European Court of Human Rights ruled that the accused were not at risk of torture or ill-treatment in solitary confinement in supermax prisons the US, despite these conditions being widely believed to constitute torture. 

On 5th October 2012, this ruling led to the extradition of five Muslim men, including Babar and Talha. The timing of Home Secretary’s decision to block Gary McKinnon’s extradition and propose a “forum bar” - just two weeks after their extradition - has led to accusations of double standards and mainstream media complicity.

At this event we aim to draw on the diversity and experience of the invited panel in order to explore the above issues, hear first-hand about how extradition affects peoples lives, and finally propose ways of campaigning to redress the balance and bring about justice. 

Emergency Protest in support of prisoners facing extradition to the US on Thursday 4th and Friday 5th October 2012

CagePrisoners will be hosting a press conference in front of the British consulate in New York to urge the British government to stop the extradition of Babar Ahmad and four others to the United States. 

What the media and politicians have willfully withheld from the public in the case of Britain's most vilified Muslim

Khalid al-Fawwaz is the least known of the five prisoners facing extradition to the US but has served the most time  - 14 years without trial.

Moving film featuring the cases of Babar Ahmad and Talha Ahsan, including heartrending interviews with their fathers and evocative prison poetry readings.

Duration: 27 minutes

Justice not only needs to be done but needs to be seen to be done, and it is not justice to restart these men's ordeal when it should be ended.

Parliamentary motion for respected Mubarak opponent held in British prisons without trial for 13 years signed by just six MPs

An evening of film, prison poetry, talks, drama, satire, nasheeds around the notorious 2003 UK-US extradition treaty currently affecting British citizens Talha Ahsan, Babar Ahmad, Richard O'Dwyer and Gary Mckinnon

Today CagePrisoners has written to every member of Parliament requesting that they make every effort to halt the impending extraditions of British citizens, Babar Ahmad and Syed Talha Ahsan. Ahmad is the longest detained-without-trial citizen in the modern history of the UK and is set to be extradited to the US along with his co-defendant Ahsan. Collectively, both have have spent fourteen years in prison without charge.

Syed Talha Ahsan is the little-known co-defendant of Babar Ahmad. Ahsan has been diagnosed with Aspergers Syndrome and has been in prison without charge in HMP Long Lartin for almost 6 years.

The doctrine of the separation of powers, by which governance is divided among three branches — the executive, legislative and the judiciary — is an old concept which was first developed in ancient Greece that continues to form the foundation of governance in most liberal democracies today.

Asim Qureshi discusses the case of Talha Ahsan, a south Londoner who has spent the last 6 years of his life in prison fighting extradition to the US, on charges which still haven't been made clear to him. Hamja Ahsan (Talha's brother) and Seyed Ahsan (Talha's father) join Asim in the studio.

Last Friday, a young man stood in the streets of London collecting signatures on a petition which he had asked a relative to draw for him. He was collecting signatures to put Babar Ahmad on trial in the UK.

Babar Ahmad is a British citizen who has been incarcerated in a maximum security prison in the UK for over seven years … without trial.