Leading article: Hacked off
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.It is only right that friendly nations should co-operate to send their nationals abroad for trial if they have committed a serious crime in a foreign country. But transferring one's citizens to a foreign jurisdiction should never be done casually. And the merit of the arguments put forward by the foreign state needs to be rigorously tested. The case of Gary McKinnon, who is due to be extradited to the US, accused of hacking into the Pentagon from his home in north London, raises serious doubts about whether those requirements have been satisfied in this instance.
Mr McKinnon could easily be tried and sentenced here in Britain. The unpalatable impression is thus of an American administration humiliated by the ease with which Mr McKinnon circumnavigated its security systems and determined to make an example of him.
But that takes this extradition request out of the purview of the law and into the realm of politics. An attempt by a foreign state to make a scapegoat out of a British national is not something our courts should be meekly going along with.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments