US Claims It Has the Right to Kidnap British Citizens

Posted by GottaLaff , Brave New Films at 5:36 AM on December 3, 2007.

This post, written by GottaLaff, originally appeared on Cliff Schecter's Brave New Films Blog

Sorry about the light posting today. I was struggling with my new video program. But that's better than struggling with a kidnapper.

AMERICA has told Britain that it can "kidnap" British citizens if they are wanted for crimes in the United States.

A senior lawyer for the American government has told the Court of Appeal in London that kidnapping foreign citizens is permissible under American law because the US Supreme Court has sanctioned it.

Well, at least they're honest about their crimes. Wait, what?

This reminds me of something though. A lit-tle something ca-a-alled....extraordinary rendition.

The admission will alarm the British business community after the case of the so-called NatWest Three, bankers who were extradited to America on fraud charges. More than a dozen other British executives, including senior managers at British Airways and BAE Systems, are under investigation by the US authorities and could face criminal charges in America.

Until now it was commonly assumed that US law permitted kidnapping only in the "extraordinary rendition" of terrorist suspects.

Why should there be boundaries? This is America, after all! Land of the free! As long as you're not the kidnapee, that is.

The American government has for the first time made it clear in a British court that the law applies to anyone, British or otherwise, suspected of a crime by Washington.

Who needs habeas corpus anyway?

Legal experts confirmed this weekend that America viewed extradition as just one way of getting foreign suspects back to face trial. Rendition, or kidnapping, dates back to 19th-century bounty hunting and Washington believes it is still legitimate.

BushCo has always been a little passive regressive.

Shami Chakrabarti, director of the human rights group Liberty, said: "This law may date back to bounty hunting days, but they should sort it out if they claim to be a civilised nation."

The US Justice Department declined to comment.

Of course they can't comment. Silly Brits. It's an ongoing investigation.

Tagged as: civil liberties, britain, kidnapping

GottaLaff is a regular blogger for Cliff Schecter's Blog