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The Long Reach of US Extradition

Posted by timothy on from the blue-passports-money-and-guns dept.

CuteSteveJobs writes "The New Matilda reports how the U.S. is now able to extradite people for minor offences, and asks why foreign governments so willingly give up their nationals to the U.S. to 'face justice' over minor crimes committed outside U.S. borders? Lawyer Kellie Tranter writes, 'the long arm of the Government is using criminal enforcement powers to enforce commercial interests at the behest of corporations and their lobbyists.' A former NSW Chief Judge said it was bizarre 'that people are being extradited to the U.S. to face criminal charges when they have never been to the U.S. and the alleged act occurred wholly outside the U.S.' He said although copyright violations are a great problem, a country 'must protect its nationals from being removed from their homeland to a foreign country merely because the commercial interests of that foreign country.' Australia recently 'streamlined' its laws to make extradition to the U.S. even easier."

20 of 242 comments (clear)

  1. There's a good dog by walshy007 · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Australia has been the US's lap dog for quite a few decades now. They say jump, we say 'how high?'.

    1. Re:There's a good dog by Dahamma · · Score: 4, Funny

      Obama.

    2. Re:There's a good dog by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Informative

      Vote Pirate.

      http://pirateparty.org.au

    3. Re:There's a good dog by aNonnyMouseCowered · · Score: 4, Informative

      "The major parties are Labour (more left wing) and Liberals (who oddly enough are very un-liberal conservatives)."

      Left and Right doesn't mean shit anymore in any of the major English-speaking countries. The mainstream parties all seem to favor copy monopolies and increased surveillance of citizens. UK's Labour was a willing partner in Bush Jr's Iraq misadventure. I also remember reading in the BBC how the party was actually disappointed over the Conservatives' decision to block security "hacker" Gary McKinnon's extradition to the US.

    4. Re:There's a good dog by rmstar · · Score: 4, Informative

      ok, so who do I vote for at the next Federal Election that isn't going to bow down to the US and to big US corporations?

      The big parties everywhere reflect what they can get away with. If you want to change something, you have to infiltrate them. Which means going to local party meetings, arguing, etc. Just hoping that someone with the right ideas comes along so you can vote for him/her does not work.

      Much of what happens depends on someone doing it, and if there is nobody to do it, it just doesn't happen. If you want change - make it happen. Organize anti-extradition rallies, generate awareness, etc.

      Everybody blames the politicians, but you must as well blame the people who expect someone else to fix it for them.

    5. Re:There's a good dog by jonwil · · Score: 4, Insightful

      Only problem is that its getting harder and harder to organize protests and rallies without being harassed by the cops.
      Its also hard to explain these sorts of issues to normal people or to convince them that its an issue that they need to care about.

      Also, as we have seen many times over the years, just because "the people" want something doesn't mean the government will listen.

    6. Re:There's a good dog by nedlohs · · Score: 4, Informative

      The Liberals are not "very un-liberal conservatives" they are for economic liberalism (when compared with the labor party anyway) hence the name. If you want to use the American definition of liberal (social liberalism - center left) rather than the Australian definition (economic liberalism - center right) then obviously the names of Australian political parties won't make sense.

    7. Re:There's a good dog by Xest · · Score: 4, Insightful

      "I also remember reading in the BBC how the party was actually disappointed over the Conservatives' decision to block security "hacker" Gary McKinnon's extradition to the US."

      The Tories have once again reached the point where they're openly acting as "the nasty party" once more, and are so confident in the fact they've got another 2 - 3 years of being able to fuck out country about at will now the Lib Dems are willing patsys despite the Torys not fulfilling any of their obligations to the Lib Dems in the coalition agreement.

      But despite this, I'm not going to be able to bring myself to vote for Labour next election, I'm unsure if I'll even vote at all this time as I'm really at a loss as to who to vote for (we don't get anything like the pirate party in our constituency). The reason I couldn't vote Labour is for precisely the sort of thing you mention - there are certain things from their time in power that were key reasons I and many others were glad to see them go, yet they haven't recognised their faults and denounced them.

      The ID card database is still very much something Labour wants, they still think they were right to spend all that time trying to extradite McKinnon, and they still think they were right about the Digital Economy Act, they still think they were right to throw as many benefits around left right and centre as they did to the point of near bankrupting the country, they still think they did the right thing in blocking all accountability about the torture they let the security services be complicit in under their rule, and they still think things like the interception modernisation programme, and censorship laws were a good idea.

      I think Labour are guaranteed a majority or coalition next election because of the public distaste of the Tories now, but I also think that whilst it means we can say goodbye to the vocal Tory right, borderline far-right that seems to be getting it's own way despite only comprising a minority of the Tory party, it means we're going to end up fighting the same old shit we did last time - ID cards, censorship and so on.

  2. Pleb? Who cares? by whoever57 · · Score: 5, Interesting

    What do the elites care if a few plebs get sent abroad?

    Mods: Before you mod me down, google "plebgate" or "pleb uk"

    --
    The real "Libtards" are the Libertarians!
  3. One thing is certain. . . by cold+fjord · · Score: 4, Funny

    Nothing in this discussion will be alarmist or overstated in any way.

    --
    much of left-wing thought is a kind of playing with fire by people who don't even know that fire is hot - George Orwell
    1. Re:One thing is certain. . . by ThatsMyNick · · Score: 5, Insightful

      That is an overstatement. You have actually contradicted yourself.

  4. Bribery by mbone · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Countries allow this sort of abuse because the right people (or entities) have been bribed. Of that, you can be sure. The real question is, is it legal bribery (AKA "foreign aid," or other forms of government money), quasi-legal bribery ($13,000 sex parties paid for by lobbyists, anyone?), or the good, old-fashioned, illegal sort ?

    1. Re:Bribery by Endovior · · Score: 4, Insightful

      You got a citation for those assertions, or just random unfounded conspiratorial ranting?

  5. Fixed link ** Re:nocookies by CuteSteveJobs · · Score: 5, Informative

    Sorry. Not sure how that happened, but it was supposed to go here:

    "ATTORNEY-GENERAL Nicola Roxon has authorised the extradition of an ethnic Tamil, wanted by the US on offshore terrorism charges, despite his fears he will be deported to Sri Lanka and punished. Ms Roxon signed the extradition order in February, sparking a legal challenge by the man's lawyers, who insist he has never been a threat to the US or Australia and that the alleged offences are more political than security-related. Documents obtained by The Australian under Freedom of Information laws show the extradition case was considered especially sensitive by Australian bureaucrats ... The FOI decision-maker has censored 1 1/2 pages of the preliminary advice to Ms Roxon, fearing the contests would harm international relations."
    http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/foi/roxon-clears-tamils-extradition-to-us/story-fn8r0e18-1226438076806

  6. This is, by Truekaiser · · Score: 5, Interesting

    One of the main reasons why the united states is not well liked by a lot of countries.
    Think for a moment, imagine say, China, Russia, or say Norway, bullied its way into other countries in such a way that non-citizens of these countries could be 'deported' to them to face punishment. Punishment for laws they did not know about, or are not against the law in their own countries but against the law there.

    1. Re:This is, by Genda · · Score: 5, Informative

      Friend, the Americans aren't too happy with America right now. What they're (American Corporations) doing to your country they're doing vigorously all over America, and they're a damn site closer here, so if its chafing you, its frigging killing us.

      This strikes me as a powerful indication of the state of the world. The Nation state is in decline. The multi national corporation is calling the tune, and the laws are now being adjusted to ensure that any infraction against the all mighty corporation anywhere on the planet is dealt with swiftly and with overwhelming force. The new terrorist is anyone who isn't consuming his proper allotment and paying his bills. Now might be a good time to take our world back.

    2. Re:This is, by Genda · · Score: 5, Insightful

      Cut the crap? Okay by the numbers, 2% of our population is in prison, more than any developed nation on the planet, and with prisons everywhere switching over to private institutions, and prisoners working for $0.50 an hour welcome to the future of the American laborer. Since 2000 there have been half a dozen economic crashes destroying jobs and combined with corporations outsourcing jobs to India, China and a dozen other countries, entire regions have suffered economic collapse and acquired names like "The rust belt". Since the last major disaster, millions have lost jobs they will never see again. In fact the new jobs that have become available since 2008 are predominantly service jobs that forces 50 and 60 somethings to utter the phrase "Would you like fries with that burger?" Retirement accounts gone. Pensions gone. Health care gone, Benefits evaporating. Just this week our nation set an all time record for the number of people receiving food stamps. The top 400 richest people in America now have the same wealth as the poorest 165,000,000. The average wage is shrinking faster than the number of honest men in our government. Inflation, due to printing endless tons dollars to cover the bad debt of the bankers, is imploding the American economy, and fast destroying what little buying power remains in the middle class. The corporations are no longer loyal to America and have sucked it dry and are now in the process of throwing away the dry husk... so what part of this sounds to you like bull shit, because I can speak from personal experience, this decade of the corporation has ruined me financially, and I have so many friends and acquaintances that have suffered the same its almost a cliche.

    3. Re:This is, by VortexCortex · · Score: 4, Informative

      Unfortunately we in the developed countries that are in decline are not unhappy enough in large enough numbers to effectuate change at this time.

      Unfortunate indeed. FTUSDI:

      [...] whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness. Prudence, indeed, will dictate that Governments long established should not be changed for light and transient causes; and accordingly all experience hath shewn that mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed. But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future security.

      What's that they say of the cyclic nature of history? I put it to you that it's not enough to know history to avoid repeating it; We must also be mindful of it always. Otherwise, in the end there will be lots of, "sorry, but you leave us no choice" on both sides of the double edged sword of power.

  7. uber lords by harvey+the+nerd · · Score: 4, Interesting

    Those who have already lived in US sponsored dictatorships may better realize that the US government is already far more dangerous than the Nazis in terms of surveillance capability and raw power. So far, too few US citizens seem to recognize that millions of people suffered, or died, in a blatantly illegal, ruinously expensive war with Iraq that appears to be preparatory for domestic use. At least realize enough to stop it, permanently.

    1. Re:uber lords by Genda · · Score: 4, Interesting

      Oh no, There are a huge number of American's who are perfectly clear what's going on, and we have no illusions to what our nation has evolved into over the last 30 years, though as you suggest a vast mouth breathing, knuckle dragging majority has voted for its own slow motion suicide. As Mussolini said, fascism is the corporate state, and we are now all becoming pawns in a global power grab by monied interests. Strangely, we fought WWII to stop the tyranny of fascism, while at the very same monied interests here invested in the Nazi's and laundered their money in the U.S., England and Switzerland. The bankers and CEOs are the threat to liberty, justice and the advancement of the human condition. Perhaps it is time for a new fight for the dignity of the human spirit.