Speech by Ashfaq Ahmad at East London Community Against Terror(ELCAST) Meeting on 12 December, 2004

Brothers and Sisters, Ladies and Gentlemen

As Salaam Alaykum and Good Evening As they say 'Lightening does not strike twice' but in my son Babar Ahmad's case lightening has struck twice.

Whatever happened to Babar Ahmad, on 2nd December, 2003 is common knowledge. Briefly, he was badly beaten and tortured by anti-terrorist police at 5 o'clock in the morning and arrested. He received over fifty injuries including two life-threatening ones. He had blood in his urine, blood in his ear,still suffers from post traumatic stress disorder,has still got pain in his hands and finds it hard to use them. As yet the General Medical Council has done nothing against police doctors who were negligent and refused to give him adequate attention in custody. Senior medical consultants' reports and photographs of injuries proved that my son had been brutally assaulted by the police. Babar was released without charge after six days.

Babar was arrested again on 5th August, this year, on an Extradition request from America and is held in Woodhill prison eversince.

My son Babar would have been a free man today had he not stood up against police brutality. He publicised his case and made a formal complaint. The Muslim Community has been in anger over the treatment given to Babar and it has lost faith in police.The myth of 'friendly,helpful' policeman has become a thing of the past. I have no doubt in my mind that the authorities are taking revenge against him for speaking out.

People of my generation are scared to come out and speak openly about what is happening in this country today. Perhaps I would have been the same had my son not been involved. Though it makes me sad when I think that Babar is sharing company with drug dealers,murderers,rapists,paedophiles in the prison but on the other hand I feel proud that by raising his voice against police,Babar has saved many other Babar Ahmads from police torture.

In September this year the Crown Prosecution concluded that there was insufficient evidence to prosecute the officers who nearly killed my son. Last week, the Crown Prosecution Service declared that this was because Babar 'resisted violantly' at the time of his arrest.

Why was Babar not charged for such a serious offence back in December?Why were his lawyers not informed about Babar's 'violant behaviour' and his criminal offence against the police? What sort of injuries did those 'six or seven armed officers' get at the hands of an un-armed man of average physique? Why did the police officers not lodge a complaint against Babar? What medical treatment was given to the officers for the injuries Babar caused them? Why is there a contradiction when the authorities say that 'some of Babar's injuries were old' and that he was beaten and injured because 'he resisted arrest violenly' ?Which of the two statements is correct? There are many many questions that remain un-answered.

Extradition Act 2003

The speed with which this treaty was fast-tracked by David Blunkett was even faster than the speed at which he perhaps got a Visa for some 'Nanny' .No parliamentary process, no discussions and no public opinion was sought.

Lord Goodhart of Liberal Democrats has said that there are many flaws in this treaty signed by US and UK last year where America can get anyone extradited from UK without providing any evidence whereas UK cannot do so.

Bhopal is a beautiful place where I spent the first fifteen years of my life.Two weeks ago it was the twentieth anniversary of the worst gas-related disaster in the world -that happened in Bhopal in 1984.Over eighteen thousand people lost their lives and thousands more were injured when lethal gas leaked at Union Carbide plant.The chief executive responsible,Warren Anderson, immediately left the country. Despite requests,USA refused to extradite him to India to face trial whereas Babar whose hands are clean,is facing extradition to America. Why these double standards,I wonder!

Secondly we were promised by the government that the treaty will by ratified by the US Senate in early 2004 but the US Senate has failed so far to do so whereas UK has implemented the treaty without waiting for American ratification.If the US believes in the constitutional principle that people cannot be extradited without evidence,it should not ask or expect UK to extradite people without evidence.Nor should it expect us to implement a treaty that it has failed to ratify. Lord Goodhart promised to raise these issues with the Government in the House of Lords.

Some of the allegations brought by America against Babar,include planning to destroy Empire State Building and that Babar had e-mail contacts with someone on board a US Naval Ship on 19 and 24 July,2001 etc.

The facts are that the Empire State Building Tourist brochure was found by the police in MY house when they raided it. It belonged to me as I had gone to New York in 1973-well before Babar was born-I have got my passport with visa stamp on it and have also got my photographs taken on top of Empire State Building.In this age of advanced technology and computers,one would be a fool to plan destruction of a building based on a thiry year old tourist brochure!!

About contacting someone on-board a Naval Ship,I have to say that 19 July 2001 was Babar's wedding day and on 24 July,2001, Babar was on honeymoon on a remote tropical island with no e-mail facilities. I would be the last person to send e-mail messages on the most important day of my life or from my honemoon suite.

There are other ridiculous allegations against Babar too-that on one occasion he travelled on a false passport and that he had left his job etc.The fact remains that none of these allgations are true and concrete proofs are available to show that Babar never travelled on false documents and he was still in employment at the time of his arrest etc. However, under this new Extradition Treaty, Babar will not be allowed to contest any of the "evidence" the US claims to have against him, in a British Court.

In the end I would like to say that Babar Ahmad has had a rough deal and is subjected to a political game being played between USA and UK. The media has played a big part in demonising his character.Evening Standard described him as Usama's London General on the day of his important hearing.

Babar comes from an average family.His father served the Crown for 21 years as a Civil Servant,his mother is a post-graduate and a former college lecturer in Botany.Babar is a well educated,simple and a law-abiding citizen.He has a moral character much higher than that of people like Blunkett who are bent upon destroying the lives of Muslims and others in this country.

I appeal to you to support us and Babar in the fight against his extradition as this is a test case. He was released without charge in December after thorough investigations. If he has done something wrong, he should be brought to trial in Britain. America is known for abusing human rights worldwide. God forbid, should Babar be sent to America, every Muslim in the country will be vulnerable to this injustice.

Thank you