Straw asks Greeks to speed up 'spy' cases
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.The Foreign Secretary, Jack Straw, contacted his Greek counterpart yesterday in an effort to resolve the plight of the 12 British aviation enthusiasts arrested for espionage.
A Foreign Office statement revealed that the plane-spotters, who have been held in prison since 8 November, had been remanded in custody for a further week and reported Mr Straw's discussion with George Papandreou, the Greek foreign minister. "He [Mr Straw] made clear that the 12 were only plane-spotters; any charges brought should reflect their activities. He said that we respected the Greek judicial system but asked for the cases to be dealt with as speedily as possible," the statement read.
Mr Papandreou said he would make sure that the detainees had all the necessary consular assistance and hoped the cases would be resolved quickly. He predicted that the group could eventually be cleared once the authorities in Greece fully understood the British "passion" for observing aircraft and airfields.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments