Lauri Love, the British student accused of hacking into the US missile defense agency, Nasa and the Federal Reserve, has just lost his appeal against extradition to the United States. The judge decided the 31-year-old Love with Asperger syndrome could be cared for by medical facilities in the US prison estate. The judge also pointed out that the activist should answer the “extremely serious charges” in the country where the damage was inflicted. Love’s supporters fear he could face up to 99 years in a US jail if convicted on all counts.
The student, who lives with his parents, was granted permission to appeal against this ruling and given bail pending further legal action. Apparently, he could go as far as to the European court of human rights in Strasbourg, which will take several years.
The judge sends the case to the secretary of state for her decision as to whether or not the student should be extradited. In her turn, the home secretary has until mid-November to consider the case. If she decides to extradite the student, he will have 2 weeks to appeal against the ruling.
Love’s family said they couldn’t criticize the judge, who just acted on a law that is flawed. Love’s attorney also said she was very disappointed by the judge’s ruling and pledged to appeal against the decision at all stages up to the European court of human rights.
The electrical engineering student previously said that a jail term in the United States could cause his health to deteriorate and lead to a mental breakdown or suicide. Love also suffers from severe eczema and depression. His case was regarded as the first substantive test of the “forum bar” introduced by Theresa May during her being home secretary, which allowed courts to block extradition. Her reforms also narrowed any home secretary’s discretion to intervene in such cases.
The National Crime Agency officers raided the activist’s home 3 years ago. At the same time, the agency confirmed that it had never sent a full file of evidence on Love to the Crown Prosecution Service. Love describes himself as a political activist and is alleged to have targeted the US Federal Reserve, US army, US Department of Defense, Nasa, FBI regional computer forensics laboratory, and many other agencies. He is accused of stealing personal data and disseminating it online. Love has denied exaggerating the severity of his medical condition.
The student, who lives with his parents, was granted permission to appeal against this ruling and given bail pending further legal action. Apparently, he could go as far as to the European court of human rights in Strasbourg, which will take several years.
The judge sends the case to the secretary of state for her decision as to whether or not the student should be extradited. In her turn, the home secretary has until mid-November to consider the case. If she decides to extradite the student, he will have 2 weeks to appeal against the ruling.
Love’s family said they couldn’t criticize the judge, who just acted on a law that is flawed. Love’s attorney also said she was very disappointed by the judge’s ruling and pledged to appeal against the decision at all stages up to the European court of human rights.
The electrical engineering student previously said that a jail term in the United States could cause his health to deteriorate and lead to a mental breakdown or suicide. Love also suffers from severe eczema and depression. His case was regarded as the first substantive test of the “forum bar” introduced by Theresa May during her being home secretary, which allowed courts to block extradition. Her reforms also narrowed any home secretary’s discretion to intervene in such cases.
The National Crime Agency officers raided the activist’s home 3 years ago. At the same time, the agency confirmed that it had never sent a full file of evidence on Love to the Crown Prosecution Service. Love describes himself as a political activist and is alleged to have targeted the US Federal Reserve, US army, US Department of Defense, Nasa, FBI regional computer forensics laboratory, and many other agencies. He is accused of stealing personal data and disseminating it online. Love has denied exaggerating the severity of his medical condition.
No comments:
Post a Comment